History Recap / GameOfThronesS3E6TheClimb

** Sansa has found some solace in King's Landing at last, but the poor dove is informed that the marriage to Loras is off and she's to marry Tyrion instead.

* RedShirtArmy: The Wildling's expedition to attack Castle Black consists of Thormund, Orell, Jon Snow, Ygritte, and twenty unnamed characters, eight of whom fall to their deaths while climbing the wall.

* SheCleansUpNicely: Pink doesn't exactly suit Brienne, but she manages to pull off wearing her first dress of the series rather well. This is in contrast to the books, where the pink silk actually makes her look uglier.

* ChekhovsGu: Samwell keeps the obsidian blade because he thought it looks pretty.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Played with. Tywin claims to be disgusted by Loras' homosexuality, but whatever his personal feelings, it is clear he's only mentioning it to gain more leverage with Olenna. On the other hand, he calls Loras' tendencies an "affliction", which may be extremely homophobic by modern standards, but considering [[PityingPerversion homosexuality a mental illness rather than a moral sin]] was a ''massive'' step forward in the real world's attitude to it. He also shows himself to be perfectly willing to have Loras on the Kingsguard protecting Tywin's dynasty with his life, because he sincerely respects Loras' skill as a fighter (Tywin did allow Loras to command the vanguard at the Battle of Blackwater, after all).

* FailedASpotCheck: When asked to guess where he is while being horribly tortured, Theon manages to list every most of the major castles in the North ''except for the one with a well known reputation for horribly torturing people.''

* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler: Ros.]]

*** [[spoiler: This itself is called back to at the end of the episode when it is revealed Joffrey has shot Ros full of crossbow bolts in the same locations Arya shot the straw figure. Makes you wonder where he shot first.]]

* [[spoiler: [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Blade]]: Samwell keeps the obsidian blade because he thought it looks pretty.]]

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: The Boy engages in some with Theon. He gleefully skins Theon's finger and promises that this is far from the end of what he has in store for Theon.]]
* CommonalityConnection: It's on a subconscious level, but Sansa and Loras begin to form this. See their DistaffCounterpart[=/=]SpearCounterpart entry for a full explanation.
* CompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:Melisandre takes Gendry away for her sacrifice, in place of Edric Storm.]]

** [[spoiler:Jon promised to Ygritte that he wouldn't turn traitor. Now he has two vows to keep.]]
** The members of the Brotherhood clearly aren't happy about [[spoiler: giving Gendry to Melisandre]], but apparently they need gold more than they need him.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Ros]] is used as Joffrey's target practice.
* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon / FreudianThreat: Ygritte tells Jon Snow that she is with him until the end... but if he ever betrays her, she will chop off his cock and wear it on a necklace.
* CutTheSafetyRope

* [[spoiler:DisposableSexWorker: Ros.]]
* DistaffCounterpart[=/=]SpearCounterpart: Sansa and Loras. Although neither of them are fully aware of the other's suffering in this episode, Sansa (an aspiring PrincessClassic) and Loras (an aspiring KnightInShiningArmour) have learned the hard way that life isn't a fairy tale. Both of them carried romantic ideals, believing that they would "live happily ever after" with their beloved Baratheon ("PrinceCharming" Joffrey for Sansa, "TheGoodKing" Renly for Loras). Both have been crushed emotionally when their dreams transformed into nightmares (Joffrey turned out to be a sadistic psychopath and executed Sansa's father, while Renly was murdered not long after Loras pushed him to become king).

* DropDeadGorgeous: [[spoiler:Ros]] in her final scene.

** Joffrey [[spoiler: apparently shot Ros full of arrows for fun, and possibly for sexual pleasure.]]
* GroinAttack / ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Arya confirms she really was aiming for the straw man's balls. However Anguy isn't impressed, as in combat she won't have time for that kind of precision-guided retribution.
* ILied: [[spoiler:The Boy admits this in telling Theon he had a chance at avoiding losing his little finger.]]

* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: Littlefinger and Joffrey's treatment of Ros.]]

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Hanging behind Jaime and Brienne, only glimpsed briefly, is a banner with the Bolton sigil on it. [[spoiler: The shape of the flayed man hanging on an 'X' is identical to Theon's position.]]

** Littlefinger is notably less genteel in this episode, showing how furious he is that Varys scuppered his plans to abscond with Sansa and [[spoiler: arranging Ros' murder as a result]]. Varys also lets his SissyVillain persona slip when he threatens Littlefinger back.

* [[spoiler: OrderVsChaos: By the end of the episode it's clear Varys and Littlefinger have this dynamic going on, with Varys wanting to keep order for the good of the realm while Littlefinger wants to incite chaos to produce more opportunities for himself. Varys and Littlefinger are now staunchly on opposite sides.]]

* RedShirtArmy: The Wildling's expedition to attack Castle Black consists of Thormund, Orell, Jon Snow, Ygritte, and [[spoiler:twenty unnamed characters, eight of whom fall to their deaths while climbing the wall.]]

* SceneryPorn[=/=]TheWorldIsJustAwesome: The shot at the top of the Wall.
* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler:Ros's entire storyline since her introduction in the first season.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Arya and Gendry really let the Brotherhood have it for [[spoiler: giving him to Melisandre.]]

** Varys and Littlefinger have their customary dialogue to this effect, though by the end of it [[spoiler: their FriendlyEnemy status appears to have been destroyed by Littlefinger's treatment of Ros and contemptuous refutation of Varys' principles.]]

** [[spoiler: Ros enjoyed greater power, some revenge, and a degree of protection as an informer to Varys. Then Littlefinger has her brutally murdered by Joffrey.]]

* FailedASpotCheck: When asked to guess where he is while being horribly tortured, Theon manages to list every most of the major castles in the North ''except for the one with a reputation for horribly torturing people.''

* FailedASpotCheck: When asked where he is while being horribly tortured, Theon manages to list every single major castle in the North ''except the one with a reputation for horribly torturing people.''

* BeneathTheMask: Littlefinger, in his banter with Varys, finally starts to show his true colors as the terrifying sociopath we [[GenreSavvy all knew he was]].

* ShownTheirWork: Anguy's archery device to Arya is actually pretty accurate -- when using a longbow, you really do pull with the back muscles and try to draw and release quickly.

* AdaptionalHeroism: Tyrion tells Sansa in advance about the ArrangedMarriage, rather Cersei and Joffrey springing it on her moments before she's forced to the altar in tears.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Sansa is in tears as she watched Littlefinger's ship sailing away; having already thrown away her chance to escape from Kings Landing, she's now trapped into her ArrangedMarriage to the Imp.

** Sansa says that Shae is the only person she trusts "even though she's warned me not to trust her." Remember the last person who used that line on a Stark?

* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: Ygritte tells Jon Snow that she is with him until the end... but if he ever betrays her, she will chop off his cock and wear it on a necklace.

* [[spoiler: OrderVsChaos: By the end of the episode it's clear Varys and Littlefinger have this dynamic going on, with Varys wanting to keep order for the good of the realm while Littlefinger wants to incite chaos to produce more opportunities for himself.]]

* OrderVersusChaos: Varys and Littlefinger are now staunchly on opposite sides.

* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: Littlefinger and Joffrey's treatment of Ros.]] The Boy keeps [[ColdBloodedTorture working]] on Theon, even admitting that he has [[ForTheEvulz no particular reason]] for it beyond his own enjoyment.

* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: Littlefinger and Joffrey's treatment of Ros.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: The Boy keeps [[ColdBloodedTorture working]] on Theon, even admitting that he has [[ForTheEvulz no particular reason]] for it beyond his own enjoyment.

* ArrangedMarriage: Edmure is given one with a Frey girl whom he has never met. He complains, but everyone forces him to agree to it.

** Littlefinger is notably less genteel in this episode, showing how furious he is that Varys scuppered his plans to abscond with Sansa. Varys also lets his SissyVillain persona slip when he threatens Littlefinger back.

** Poor Theon just can't get away from horn blowers.

** When Loras describes how he dreamed of marrying a bride wearing a "beautiful gown of gold and green brocade", it's reminiscent of the richly decorative cape that Renly wore at the Tourney of the Hand.

* StepfordSmiler: Loras tells Sansa, "It's [King's Landing] terrible isn't it? The most terrible place there is," which clearly indicates that Loras is suffering in silence.

* KnightInShiningArmor: Although Loras is not romantically interested in Sansa, his adherence to knightly ideals plays a part in wanting to rescue her from the hell she's in, and he willingly enters into an [[spoiler:ArrangedMarriage]] with the girl so that [[spoiler:he can whisk her away to Highgarden]]. Say what you will of his grandmother's and sister's ulterior motives, but Loras is more honourable than that. He understands that King's Landing is a terrible place for Sansa, and he sees her as a DamselInDistress who is held prisoner by the "monster" Joffrey.