Recap / Game of Thrones S3E8: "Second Sons"

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 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, threatens her with rape from himself and his men, 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.

Gendry and Melisandre arrive at Dragonstone, where Stannis agrees that this is Robert's son. Gendry is led away, and Stannis asks Melisandre why she doesn't kill him already and not torture him by drawing it out. Melisandre replies that one has to hide the blade to stop the lamb's fear from tainting the sacrifice. Meanwhile Davos is in his cell, slowly but surely reading his book, when Stannis comes in to offer him his freedom, provided that he swears to not hurt Melisandre. He fills Davos in on what's been happening, and they debate killing Gendry. Stannis is a hesitant yes, and Davos is a firm no.

Back at Yunkai, the three captains ponder how to deal with Daenerys and her 8,000 Unsullied. One of them, Daario Naharis, espouses his personal philosophy. The jackass one proposes that someone sneak into camp and assassinate her. They draw lots and the mission falls to Daario.

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 Lannister song "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 Death Glare from Tywin) Sansa kneels for Tyrion.

Elsewhere, at Dragonstone, Gendry is still uncomfortable in his rapid ascension from "peasant" to "king's bastard." Melisandre comes in to reassure him and seduce him, in that order. It looks like they're on their way to making another shadow-assassin when she all-of-a-sudden ties his wrists to the bed. Gendry is confused by this, and even more so when she uses her position to tie his legs too. Confusion becomes alarm when she walks calmly away from the bed to get some leeches. She sticks three on him despite his pleading, and tells him that he can thank Davos for this, as he demanded proof. She pulls them off as Davos and Stannis walk in. Stannis, ignoring the tied-up naked guy, takes the leeches and throws them into a fire one-by-one, declaring names as he goes: "The usurper, Robb Stark... the usurper, Balon Greyjoy... the usurper, Joffrey Baratheon..."

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 on a couch, leaving her the bed.

Elsewhere, at Yunkai, Daenerys is taking a bath. Missandei chats with her until Daario slips in and puts a knife to Missandei's throat, telling them not to scream. He explains that he and the other two captains had a disagreement over Dany's beauty, and he didn't want to assassinate her. The other two tried to tell him that he had no choice but, he says while rolling their severed heads out of a sack, Daario Naharis always has a choice. Dany, quickly realizing where the handle is on Daario, gets out of the bath and stands naked for a second while Missandei fetches a robe. Then she turns and asks if he'll swear to follow her. On one knee, Daario swears to her the Second Sons, his sword, his life and his heart.

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...

...And the White Walker begins to scream and writhe in pain as its skin turns to ice, before collapsing and cracking apart until it is no more than a mere pile of hoarfrost dust blowing in the night wind. Arise! Sam the Slayer! The couple stare in shock for a moment before running off into the night while being ominously pursued by the conspiracy of ravens.

---

Tropes in this episode include:

• Abusive Parents: Sam asks Gilly not to name the baby Randyll (his father's name) so strongly that Gilly can instantly tell he was the victim of this. When she asks if Randyll's cruel like Craster, Sam says his father is cruel in a different way, but doesn't actually call him less cruel than the son-murdering daughter-raping Craster.
• Adaptation Distillation:
  • Daenerys's dealings with Yunkai's mercenaries is simplified. In the books, there are two companies. Daario kills his fellow captains to seize control of his company and pledge them to Dany's side, while her army launches a pre-emptive attack on Mero's company. Mero turns up in a later scene in an attempt to assassinate Dany, which fails. This is all simplified into one company that is seized by Daario and pledged to her.
  • 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. Histories and Lore would later add these factors back into the story of "The Rains of Castamere".
• Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: 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.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • 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. Then again, in the book she wasn't told about the wedding until the morning of and was all but dragged there by Cersei and the Kingsguard, and she's mostly reacting out of shock and anger herself.
  • In the book, when Sansa asks Tyrion what he'll do if she never wants him in her bed, he miserably tells her that he's just going to have to make do with whores instead. In the show, he instead pledges himself to celibacy ("And now my watch begins."), intending to remain faithful to their marriage.
• Adaptational Modesty: In the books Tyrion and Sansa had undressed completely before he changed his mind about bedding her. Obviously there was no chance of that happening here, given that Sophie Turner was only 16 during filming.
• Badass Boast:
  • 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."
• Badass Longcoat: Tywin's formal dress for the wedding definitely gives off this vibe.
• Bathe Her and Bring Her to Me: 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 Blood Magic.
• Bathtub Scene: A pre-modern bathtub, but still valid. It's also used to advance the plot however, as Daenerys is bathing and tended to by Missandei (furthering their rapport) when Daario slips in the room so he can pledge his loyalty and that of the Second Sons to her.
• Berserk Button: Tyrion threatens to geld Joffrey in front of the court, the Lannisters and the Tyrells when Joffrey lecherously tries to start the 'bedding' of Sansa and Tyrion, which involves stripping the pair of them.
• Blood Knight: Daario to a T. Up to the point that it is one of the only two things he lives for. The second...
  Mero: Daario Naharis, the whore who doesn't like whores.
  Daario: I like them very much. I just refuse to pay them.
• Blood Magic: 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*
• Bondage Is Bad: Gendry certainly picks up that it's bad news. Sure enough, the Red Woman doesn't have kinky sex in mind.
• Brutal Honesty: When Tyrion wonders if his father recalls an insult about his lecherous nature, Tywin casually acknowledges he used it more than once.
• Buy Them Off: Danys tries this with the Second Sons, but it turns out her hot looks are more effective at swaying the man that matters.
• Call-Back:
  • Tyrion brings up the time when Tywin called him "a drunken little lust-filled beast."
  • Tyrion drunkenly 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.
  • Stannis relates to Davos what he saw when Melisandre had him look into the flames to reinspire Stannis following his defeat in battle.
  • 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 is, but it turns out that in this instance she's telling the truth and it really isn't poisoned.
  • The Hound tells Arya about the time he saved Sansa from rapists during the Riot of King's Landing. Arya doesn't believe him.
  • 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.
  • The Queen of Thorns smiles in approval after seeing a drunk Tyrion backchat his father, having been disappointed on their first meeting that Tyrion wasn't the impertinent drunken lecher of his reputation.
• Chained to a Bed: Gendry and Melisandre actually get partway through the act before she ties him to the bedpost.
• Chekhov's Gun: Sam uses the dragonglass dagger he found last season to slay the White Walker.
• Chivalrous Pervert: Two for the price of one: though both Tyrion and Daario are pretty vocal about their enjoyment of women, Tyrion decides not to go through with consummating his marriage to Sansa, and Daario keeps his eyes on Dany's face when she steps out of the bath in front of him.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: 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.
• Clever Crows: One of the ways to tell a White Walker is headed your way.^{From the books...}The ravens are actually trying to warn Sam and Gilly of the approaching danger.
• Comforting Comforter: After passing out drunk on the couch, Tyrion wakes up the next morning with Sansa's bridal cloak draped over him.
• Costume Porn: Everyone, with the exception of Bronn, in Tyrion's wedding.
• Cowardly Lion: Samwell faces down a White Walker and later stabs it with an obsidian dagger when it approaches Gilly and her son.
• Cunning Linguist: Dany is in awe by Missandei's ability to speak 19 languages.
• Death Glare:
  • Sansa cannot hide one when Joffrey brings up the possibility that he could rape her himself if he wished.
  • Lord Tywin gives a chilling one to a man who laughs out too loud at Tyrion's attempts to attach a cape on Sansa's shoulders. The whole crowd promptly falls completely silent. When the camera shows the Tyrells' reaction, Lady Olenna can be seen sending an icy look of purest contempt in Joffrey's direction.
  • Tyrion gives Joffrey a look dripping pure hatred after threatening to castrate his nephew unless he lets the bedding idea drop.
• Decapitated Army: Rather than risk taking on 8,000 Unsullied, the Titan's Bastard decides the best way to defeat Dany is to assassinate her.
• Decapitation Presentation: Daario Naharis dumps the severed heads of his fellow sellsword captains in front of Danys to prove his commitment to her.
• Didn't See That Coming: Given the look of shock on their faces, it's up to the viewer to decide who was more surprised when Sam managed to kill the White Walker: Sam or the Walker.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Don't get on Gregor Clegane's bad side. He'll kill you for snoring too loud! According to one of Sandor's anecdotes.
• Dissonant Serenity:
  • Danys maintains her smile in the face of Mero's crude comments, until he leaves.
  • 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. Well, to be precise he could, but he won't.
• Double-Meaning Title: Besides the mercenary company of the same name, this episode revolves around a lot of second sons: Tyrion is the second son to Tywin Lannister; Sandor Clegane is the younger brother to The Mountain, who has overshadowed him all his life; Stannis is a second son; Samwell, although the oldest sibling, was pushed aside in favor of a younger and "better" son by his father.
• Dramatic Irony: To show that the wine she offers Gendry isn't poisoned, Melisandre drinks some of it. Viewers are aware that Melisandre is immune to poisons; Gendry isn't. Subverted, as the wine really is harmless.
• Drawing Straws: Mero puts three coins in the palm of a bedslave; the one who picks the Braavosi coin gets the dangerous task of assassinating Daenerys.
• Dressing as the Enemy: Daario dresses up as an Unsullied, allowing him to sneak into Danaerys' camp and enter her tent.
• Droit du Seigneur: Joffrey gleefully tells Sansa that he's considering putting his own child inside her. And if she objects, he'll have his Kingsguard hold her down while he does the deed.
• The Dulcinea Effect: Presumably why Sam stands his ground against the White Walker rather than run away.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Sandor tells Arya many men are worse than him, and would beat and rape her.
  • Cersei attempts to dissuade Joffrey once she realizes he's going to inflict his presence upon Sansa again.
• Evil Is Petty: Joffrey takes away Tyrion's footstool at the wedding just for a few cheap giggles.
• Fanservice:
  • Gendry (Joe Dempsie) shirtless and Melisandre (Carice van Houten) naked. In bed. It goes downhill very fast.
  • Naked Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).
• Fanservice Extra: The Titan's Bastard fondles a scantily-clad bedslave while discussing strategy with his fellow captains.
• Fan Disservice:
  • 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 life force. Gendry eventually gets a leech placed on his cock by Melisandre.
  • Especially for female audiences, Mero harassing Daenerys and Missandei was also particularly nauseating and repulsive.
• First-Name Basis: After their marriage, Tyrion insists that Sansa stop calling him "my lord."
• Flirtatious Smack on the Ass: 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. Keep in mind the entire time Mero was making disgusting misogynistic comments towards her, Daenerys shrugged them off and kept a cool head.
  Dany: Ser Barristan, if it comes to battle, kill that one first.
  Barristan Selmy: Gladly, your grace.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Daenerys, as she explains to the Second Sons' captains.
  Mero: You have no kingdom.
  Dany: A fortnight ago I had no army, a year ago I had no dragons.
• Freudian Threat: Tyrion intimates that he'll emasculate Joffrey at the wedding, as does Daenerys to Mero during his licentious speech.
• Funny Background Event:
  • 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 Maester Pycelle having an awkward chat with two young girls.
• Game Face
  Sandor: No point hiding behind that face. I know fear when I see it.
• Groin Attack:
  • Melisandre pulls a still-feeding leech off Gendry's todger. Ouch.
  • Threatened by Tyrion at the wedding when he's had enough of Joffrey's bullshit.
    Tyrion: [slams a dagger into the table] Then you'll be fucking your own bride with a wooden cock!
• Hangover Sensitivity: Tyrion winces as a pissed-off Shae bangs the breakfast tray down on the table the morning after the wedding.
• Hates Small Talk: Cersei abruptly tells Loras off when he tries to initiate a polite conversation.
• Holy Hand Grenade: Sam's dagger.
• Hope Spot: 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.
• Human Sacrifice: Subverted (at least for the moment). The viewers are led to believe that Melisandre will sacrifice Gendry, when in fact she merely draws his blood with three leeches; apparently, Davos did persuade Stannis to demand proof for her claims that King's Blood provides powerful magic.
• An Ice Person: The White Walker can generate cold intense enough to shatter Sam's sword (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 thermal energy (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.
• Idiot Ball: Sam 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.^{In the books...} he keeps the dagger after killing the Other, and it shatters later when he tries to use it against a wight. In "Mhysa," however, it turns out that he has a lot more than just one.
• If I Wanted You Dead...: Dany knows Daario has no intention of assassinating her because he is talking, instead of having already slit her throat before she could cry out for her guards.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: 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 book, he's not actually drunk, just pretending to be so he can get away with sparing Sansa the bedding ceremony.
• Info Dump: Cersei does this with the story behind "The Rains of Castamere" to Maergery.
• In Love with the Mark: Daario makes no secret of the fact that he has eyes for Dany, and refuses when given the task to kill her.
• Intimate Healing: Sam gets nervous when Gilly suggests they stay warm by huddling together under her furs.
• In Vino Veritas: Tyrion lets some of his anger and contempt for not only Joffrey but also his own father slip out.
• Ironic Echo: 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.
• It's Personal: Dany's 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.
• Jabba Table Manners: A drunken Tyrion spills his wine on his jacket then wipes it up with the tablecloth, watched by an aghast Sansa and a fuming Lord Tywin.
• Jerkass: Mero, the Titan's Bastard, treats Daenerys with absolutely no respect, making obscene gestures towards both her and Missandei and topping it all off with a lovely threat to rape both women. What a charmer.
• "Just Joking" Justification: After his threat to Joffrey, Tyrion regains control of himself and tries to pass it off as a bad joke, and engages in some Self-Deprecation. 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.
• Kick the Dog: After going seven episodes without tormenting Sansa in some way, Joffrey is eager to make up for lost time. He manages to work in some time for Tyrion too.
• Kill Me Now, or Forever Stay Your Hand: The Hound invites Arya to take one swing at his head with the rock, and if she fails he'll break both her hands. Answer Cut to a sulking Arya riding in front of the Hound on his horse.
• Kubrick Stare:
  • 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 Kubrick Stare from "Fire and Blood" when Joffrey threatens to use his Lord's Right to rape her.
  • And Dany once the Titan's Bastard walks out of her tent.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: 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.
• Limited Wardrobe: Bronn appears at the wedding in his usual worn-down leather armor and tattered clothes, making him stand out like a sore thumb amongst the other, more formally dressed guests.
• Literally Shattered Lives: After Sam slays the White Walker, its body turns to ice and shatters completely.
• The Loins Sleep Tonight: Tywin is worried that this will happen to Tyrion as he continues to drink. Tyrion later states that his decision not to bed Sansa is not because he's too drunk to be capable but is a deliberate choice (in the books they both fully undress before Tyrion decides he can't do it, and it is explicitly stated that he is erect despite all the wine and his own revulsion).
• Male Gaze: Played straight by the camera but subverted by Daario, who keeps eye contact the entire time Daenerys stands naked in front of him.
• Marital Rape License: Though Sansa herself (presumably along with the rest of Westeros) clearly believes in this, Tyrion does not.
• Meaningful Look: Tyrion raises his glass in pity to Loras, and his eyes say, "You're next to get married." Loras, who is already quite frustrated from the day's events, sighs and turns his head away.
• Morality Chain: Davos realises that Stannis is letting him out of his cell because he has doubts about the Human Sacrifice the Red Woman is urging, and he wants Davos to talk him out of it.
  Davos: [to Stannis] You could have freed me yesterday, or tomorrow, but instead you come to me now, before this boy is put to the knife because you knew I'd counsel restraint. You came to hear me say it because you believe it yourself.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Dany and Missandei's discussion on languages and learning Dothraki.
  • 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 disposed of the body in the stew.
  • Daenerys finally breaks out the phrase, "I may be a young girl, and new to the ways of war, but..."
• Near-Rape Experience: Tyrion (who is almost as unhappy about the situation as Sansa) considers having sex with Sansa on their wedding night despite how clearly miserable she is at the idea, but ultimately decides to stay away from her until/if she wants to.
• The Needs of the Many: How Stannis justifies to Davos Melisandre's use of Gendry.
  Stannis: What's one bastard boy, against a kingdom?
• Not Distracted by the Sexy: Daario keeps his eyes on Dany's face when she steps out of the bath in front of him. This shows respect and (more importantly for impressing a young girl) confidence. After all, why check out her body when you fully believe you'll be able to explore it at your leisure at a later date?
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Mero is supposed to be Braavosi like Syrio Forel, but he sounds like a Cockney instead of a Spaniard.
• Not Worth Killing: 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.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Sam and Gilly have a colossal one when the White Walker appears.
  • And earlier, when Sam exits the hut and realizes the weirwood tree is host to a huge unkindness^note collective noun for ravens of ravens. This cannot be good.
  • Tyrion gets a more subdued one when Sansa reminds him that she's only fourteen years old.
  • 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.
  • Joffrey also has a slight one when he sees Tyrion working that knife further into the tabletop, clearly debating just how serious that threat was.
  • Missandei has one (clearly a reflex from her time as a slave) when Dany picks up on her saying that Dany's Dothraki is only "reasonable". It takes her a while to build up her courage enough to correct her mistress, and she's clearly delighted that Dany accepts the lesson with good grace.
  • Both Dany and Missandei have one when Daario appears in the tent.
  • Gendry seems to be on the verge of giving this when he gets chained to the bed, and certainly freaks out when the leeches are brought out.
• Papa Wolf: Sam defending Gilly and her son.
• Passive-Aggressive Kombat: 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."
• Perverted Sniffing: The Titan's Bastard has a good sniff at Missandei's groin as she pours him wine, making her very uncomfortable.
• Pet the Dog: Cersei tries to prevent Joffrey from talking to Sansa again, and when she fails she leaves the table, clearly not wanting to witness Sansa's latest ordeal.
  • Sansa puts her bridal cloak over Tyrion as a blanket during the night.
• Playing Drunk: Tyrion is drunk of course, but after his father points out this fact to King Joffrey, Tyrion makes a point of playing up his drunkenness by knocking into various bits of furniture as he leaves.
• Pragmatic Adaptation:
  • 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, Sansa refuses to kneel down so Tyrion can put his cloak on her shoulders, in a small act of defiance over being forced to marry Tyrion. It's a Sansa POV chapter, so the reader knows just how humiliated she is over the whole experience. Lacking that perspective here, Sansa kneels so the focus is on Joffrey's douchebaggery.
  • 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 setting it ablaze rather than with dragonglass.
• Precision F-Strike:
  • 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] Then you'll be fucking your own bride with a wooden cock!
  • And later,
    Tyrion: If my father wants someone to get fucked I know where he can start!
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Joffrey's astonished reaction to uncle Tyrion threatening to geld him.
  Joffrey: What did you say? What...did you...SAY?!
• Questionable Consent: Gendry submitting to Melisandre. Although he doesn't physically struggle against her advances he's still her prisoner, he 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.
• Quieter Than Silence: The shrieking ravens suddenly fall silent when the White Walker gets close.
• Reverse Arm-Fold: Loras holds himself in this manner during Tyrion and Sansa's wedding ceremony.
• Right Through His Pants: Melisandre strips off completely while Gendry is still wearing his breeches (though it's apparent that Melisandre has unlaced his crotch).
• Rule of Drama: In the real world, bites from the type of leeches that consume mammal blood are generally not painful because their saliva acts as an anesthetic, but if Gendry didn't freak out like he was being cut open, the audience might not realize what's happening is bad. Presumably, he's mostly shouting out of squicked-out fear rather than actual pain.
• Running Gag: Sam clearly hasn't gotten any better at lighting fires.
• Screaming Warrior: Sam screams as he charges at the White Walker. It doesn't even turn round. Big mistake.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Gilly accuses Sam of deliberately using fancy words to confuse her. Perplexed, Sam claims he is talking like he normally does.
• Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers!: Mixed with a dose of Religion Is Right in Stannis's discussion with Davos; Stannis admits he's never been much of a believer, but given the things they've both seen Melisandre do, there has to be some truth to the Lord of Light.
  Stannis: I saw a vision in the flames, a great battle in the snow. I saw it...and you saw whatever she gave birth to. I never believed, but when you see the truth, when it's right there in front of you, as real as these iron bars, how can you deny her god is real?
• A Shared Suffering: Averted; Tyrion, Sansa, Shae, Loras, and 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.
• Smug Smiler: Daario's near constant expression. Notable, in that Ed Skrein somehow manages to upturn both corners of his mouth at once, giving him 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.
• Stepford Smiler: Loras puts on a charming smile and a pleasant disposition most of the time, but his mask slips at the wedding feast.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Stannis can tell that Gendry is indeed his nephew just by looking directly in his face for a few seconds.
• Stunned Silence: It turns out that threatening to geld the king in front of his entire court can have this effect. Who would've guessed?
• Super-Strength: The White Walker backhands Sam (who, let's face it, is hardly going to be light) some fifteen feet through the air without apparent effort.
• Suppressed Rage: The abrupt and rude manner in which Loras storms away from the wedding feast is merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of the true depths of his anger over his current situation (i.e. his forced betrothal to Cersei, his inability to mourn for Renly in public, etc.).
• Tangled Family Tree: Lampshaded by Olenna Tyrell when she describes how Sansa, Margaery, Cersei and Loras will all be related to each other, including Loras becoming the stepfather-in-law of his own sister and Cersei becoming sister-in-law to her own son.
• Tastes Like Chicken: Apparently not enough to fool the residents of Flea Bottom.
• Teeny Weenie: 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, "Mine 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.
  Tyrion: [in his first appearance] The gods gave me one blessing!
• The Starscream: Daario kills the other two captains and assumes leadership of the Second Sons.
• Too Much Information: Tyrion tells Sansa as he leads her off to his bedchamber that he once threw up on a girl during sex.
• The Women Are Safe with Us: Though he was talking about his refusal to pay whores, Daario's statement that one of the great pleasures in life is "fucking a woman who wants to be fucked" could imply that he doesn't rape, which makes sense if he's meant to be the "good" mercenary.
• Thicker Than Water:
  • Davos appeals to this in trying to get Stannis to stop Melisandre's sacrifice of Gendry, telling that Stannis felt at least a twinge of blood loyalty to a lowborn nephew he'd never met.
  • Lord Tywin tells King Joffrey that "your uncle is clearly drunk," subtly reminding him of their family connection.
• This Cannot Be!: The White Walker's reaction to Sam stabbing it in the back with a (to it) lethal dragonglass dagger.
• Took a Level in Badass: Bumbling Samwell kills a White Walker.
• Tragic Keepsake: The doll Ned gave Sansa in season 1 reappears again on her dresser.
• Tranquil Fury: Tyrion spits out his threat to castrate Joffrey very quietly and deliberately, in contrast with Joffrey's responding screech.
  • When Mero smacks Missandei on the backside as he leaves, Daenerys, who had previously brushed off Mero's misogyny and threats of rape with a smile, looks coldly furious at the mistreatment of her closest friend. Barristan Selmy is also furious, and when Daenerys asks him to kill Mero first in the event of a battle, Barristan calmly agrees to do so without hesitation.
• Undying Loyalty: A subtle example, with Gendry. Even when he's reduced to begging Stannis for his life, he never tries to bargain for it with the one piece of extremely valuable information he has, the survival and whereabouts of Arya Stark.
• Unwanted Spouse: All over the place. Neither Tyrion nor Sansa are happy with the arrangement, and Cersei doesn't bother to keep her unhappiness about the arrangement with Loras a secret.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Why Don't You Just Sacrifice Him? Stannis tells Melisandre to bleed Gendry and stop screwing around with Bathe Him and Bring Him to Me.
• Younger Than They Look: Invoked when Sansa reminds the audience and Tyrion that she's only 14 (her actress Sophie Turner was actually a few years older by this point) which is what causes Tyrion to realize he can't make her consummate their marriage.
• You Talk Too Much!
  Prendahl: That dragon bitch, she talks too much.
  Daario: You talk too much.
  Mero: She won't talk so much when she's choking on my cock.

---