[Soule]

What an incredibly tense episode, the first like 20 minutes I was on the edge of my seat. I had a bit of a chuckle when I read people asking what the girl was doing to Jon Snow and that was a nice kind of lull in the intensity but overall what an episode I was lost for words by the end, so amazing had to tell my friends. Definitely my favourite episode so far and I cannot wait til the next episode GIMME MOAR

[#1 defender]

I had to laugh at Catelyn cockblocking Robb and the wildling girl rubbing against Jon, getting him aroused annoyed, but yes, very tense episode overall, especially the bits with the Stark girls.

[JGS]

Even Snow's scenes were tense because I couldn't see how he could get out of not killing her. plus the old ranger has me paranoid about the area. So he's lost with a girl he can't trust who could be seducing him just to kill him like we saw with Osha.

[spirity]

Great episode. Theon in over his head, he's put himself into a position where the decisions he has to make are mindfucking him.

BUT WHO WAS DRAGONS

[Bread]

Theon better die a very painful death. What a piece of shit. Assassin's Creed guy has an awesome way of talking.

a man loves to speak in third person

[Tacitus_]

Don't be too hard on Theon, he just wants to be a proper Ironborn and to be loved by his dad.

[Sirius]

Arya and Tywin, Theon's douchbaggery, the rushed assassination, Jon and Ygritte, Robert and Telisa, damn this episode was brilliant!
Though I saved the best for last; this is truly what made the episode special, it's not always the intimate and tense moments that stand out, no.. sometimes it's the warmth that sticks to you:

Joffrey getting caked and 3itch-slapped, hells-yeah.

[LJ11]

Are any of you planning on reading the books after this season?

[BobTheFork]

This is Littlefinger we're talking about, there's no way he didn't figure out what was going on once he saw her.

[Cyan]

We need a gif of the latest Joff-slap.

[Cornballer]

We need a gif of the latest Joff-slap.

He leaned into it this week.



Low quality off of tumblr, but there should be some better versions sooner or later.

[purple cobra]

Kind of weird to me how Ghost seems to be behaving so distant from Jon lately. Wonder what the deal is there. But what an awesome episode last night, damn!

Show hit the ground running from the start. Kind of painful watching Theon turn on Winterfell like that. His execution of Roderik wasn't even a clean cut, having to chop a couple of times must have been gruesome to watch. I have a new found love for Osha as well. Glad to see she didn't turn on the Starks as well.

I laughed my ass off with the assassination scene with the guard knocking on Tywin's door. I thought "oh man, he made it back to Tywin in time". Then he falls dead with a dart to the neck.

Watching Joffrey get hit with cow shit was one of the most pleasing sights I've seen. Tyrion laying the smack down on Joffrey like only he can. :D That whole scene (the mob attacking Joffrey) was tense throughout. I thought Sansa was done for till The Hound started wrecking fools left and right.

Like someone else had mentioned, I thought that prince in Qarth was in on that ambush of Dany's people and theft of her dragons. I really hope she gets them back. She's already lost what, half her entourage? Oh man now that I think of it, I don't remember seeing the lighter skinned girl who would help her with the dragons. The shorter, darker skinned one was seen dead last night.

Going to definitely watch the show again when it airs. This is going to be a long week till the next show...

[JGS]

Kind of weird to me how Ghost seems to be behaving so distant from Jon lately. Wonder what the deal is there. But what an awesome episode last night, damn!

I get the impression that Ghost is home and he feels closer to it than Jon. Direwolves may not be that mystic North of the Wall.

Like someone else had mentioned, I thought that prince in Qarth was in on that ambush of Dany's people and theft of her dragons. I really hope she gets them back. She's already lost what, half her entourage? Oh man now that I think of it, I don't remember seeing the lighter skinned girl who would help her with the dragons. The shorter, darker skinned one was seen dead last night. Going to definitely watch the show again when it airs. This is going to be a long week till the next show...

I thought this too, but it doesn't help that we don't have a sense of location in those scenes. I couldn't quite tell where they were to begin with. I was afraid Mormont would one of the dead..

[Cyan]

He leaned into it this week. Low quality off of tumblr, but there should be some better versions sooner or later.

Ah, a thing of beauty. :D

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

From TheBigLead:

[Angry Grimace]

It's really easy to predict when you're about to get some boobs in this series: the chicks just wear these Hulk Hogan clothes that you can just tell come right off because whoever is in charge of cinematography thinks it looks sexier when chicks just pull open their clothes right from the middle. Same exact thing happened with Margaery's outfit like 2 weeks ago.

[JB1981]

Jon Snow is really starting to bother me. He's always screwing up. The King's Landing riot scene was amazing. So tense (Tyrion was amazing) and I had a feeling the Hound would save Sansa.

[Grimm Fandango]

Are any of you planning on reading the books after this season?

I read the first book over spring break. I'll probably read this book after the season finishes but I won't continue. Prefer to watch the other books first then read.

[Martian]

I get the impression that Ghost is home and he feels closer to it than Jon. Direwolves may not be that mystic North of the Wall. I thought this too, but it doesn't help that we don't have a sense of location in those scenes. I couldn't quite tell where they were to begin with. I was afraid Mormont would one of the dead..

Yeah, this was my interpretation as well.

I truly hope Joffrey stays alive, it's good to have someone as pure evil as him in the show. I like the fact that the king now, is the most incompetent person out there, and still he stays alive.

Tywin Lannister was also upped in my cool-wall. In the first season he was showed as this ruthless dude, with way to much money. But now he looks fairly reasonable, and he knows what he's doing. Like someone else said: He showed some of Tyrion's cunningness.

[ThirstyFly]

Are any of you planning on reading the books after this season?

I'm really tempted to. The Blu-rays for season one had a detailed guide going into the world and the history that made the show so much more interesting for me.

Problem is, I've got an army of books waiting to be read and these suckers aren't exactly the thinnest books around.

If I do get them though, I'll only read each book after its TV season to expand on the episodes. I won't read ahead because I enjoy watching the show too much like this.

[Finalow]

From TheBigLead:

yes, couldn't miss this gif.

btw the more I see khaleesi and the more I want to bang her.

[spirity]

Jon Snow is really starting to bother me. He's always screwing up.

He should have killed the wildling. Such a stupid thing to do, letting her live. He's now lost, put the rest of his men in jeopardy and himself. There's no place for chivalry and mercy where he is. He's not learning a damn thing and it would suit for it to be his downfall. I started out really liking the guy, but he's too nice. Clock is ticking on that one. (just a prediction, I haven't read the books).

[Hasardeur]

find him somewhat sympathetic because there is clearly reticence and hesitation in the things he is doing. He's not pure evil like fucking Joffrey.

yup, I can't hate on Theon, he clearly didn't intend this outcome (the old man was practically asking for it). Amazing episode, Assassin guy proofed once again that he's the best - I fucking hope they don't just randomly kill him off at the end of this season, I want him to be a mainstay character

[Flash]

It didn't dawn on him that the act was death penalty worthy (It wasn't, it was an opportunity to negotiate). That is not a sympathetic scene. He took the advice of a guy he knew for a few days over the wisdom of people he's known his whole life and betrayed/backstabbed. He should have been aware there would be hurt feelings over all that. He was every bit the weasel he looks like. He wasn't a prisoner of war. Theon himself said that his father gave him to the Starks. The Greyjoys are the ones that started the conflict anyway. His brothers were killed fighting the Starks. It's all revisionist history to justify the actions.

Roderik spit on Theon. How is that NOT death penalty worthy?

I think the point of that scene was that he is actually lost because someone who was purely evil would've ordered his death immediately. Even the way he was talking with Bran when he entered his room wasn't really intimidating or evil but rather doing what he thinks he has to.

I mean of course he's an asshole and deserves to die, but all his actions imply him trying desperately to please his father rather than being purely evil.

[cuevas, PhD.]

His whole "I was never really part of your family" is BS considering Rob trusted him enough to send him out on his own.

[sangreal]

I didn't even realize the first time through that the guy Arya offed this week was the one who killed Yoren

[Kave_Man]

Roderik spit on Theon. How is that NOT death penalty worthy? I think the point of that scene was that he is actually lost because someone who was purely evil would've ordered his death immediately. Even the way he was talking with Bran when he entered his room wasn't really intimidating or evil but rather doing what he thinks he has to. I mean of course he's an asshole and deserves to die, but all his actions imply him trying desperately to please his father rather than being purely evil.

Exactly how I feel. Theon still sucks though.

Also this episode was lacking in Hot Pie.

[StudioTan]

Are any of you planning on reading the books after this season?

I might read the first and second. I'm having too much fun experiencing the story through the show.

[JGS]

Roderik spit on Theon. How is that NOT death penalty worthy?

He was spitting on a traitor who knew the only reason he got as far as he did was for treacherous reasons. The scene is based on respect and honor, but Theon did nothing to deserve that and he knew it. He knew that the man was angry about the betrayal. He knew what Winterfell thought of him. The reactions were perfectly understandable. They weren't to Theon's crew because they did not know anything about the Starks. It didn't concern them if he killed everyone in Winterfell. Theon knew exactly how vile a dude he was though. That's what makes him evil in my view.

I think the point of that scene was that he is actually lost because someone who was purely evil would've ordered his death immediately. Even the way he was talking with Bran when he entered his room wasn't really intimidating or evil but rather doing what he thinks he has to.

I think someone honorable would have had the right to order his death immediately. The person who threw the cowpie at Joffrey deserved to die because he was the king and despite his absolute evilness, he didn't do anything treacherous to get to the throne and that's the penalty for attacking the king. He gained it fair and square as far as he knew.

Theon was not that guy and he knew it. He didn't kill him because he deserved to die. He killed him because of peer pressure. There is a huge difference between treachery & invasion. This was treachery and deserved a spit in the face. Theon knew that 100% without a doubt. The whole thing was emotions running wild which is why Theon did it to begin with and why he handled it so sloppily- literally and figuratively. The scene was perfect, but the lack of remorse afterward is what seals the deal. He's loving the life or his expectation of it at least.

I mean of course he's an asshole and deserves to die, but all his actions imply him trying desperately to please his father rather than being purely evil.

I think one can be evil for various reasons and bad parenting doesn't excuse that. For all we know, his dad was possibly nicer than his granddad. He wasn't pleasing his father by doing this considering his father gave no command to invade Winterfell to begin with and had no say in the killing of one of its top men. If anything, it's more like sibling rivalry (I can't wait until that meeting).

Also, Theon as a bad guy is OK although I hope he dies sooner than later. A good show needs them, I just can't quite get the sympathy angle. the only ones that should get sympathy from this is the Starks who are way too trusting.

[scy]

I really do sympathize with Theon. He's stuck between his birth family and the family that raised him in a society that stakes a lot of pride in family. He'll never be a Stark because he's a Greyjoy and, yet, he'll never be a Greyjoy because he's a Stark.

That said, fuck Theon. The sympathy card only goes so far.

[Brian Fellows]

Yeah being a pathetic loser with daddy issues just makes him worse in my mind. I'd have cut Balon in half the second he slapped me during that first meeting.

[Flash]

The person who threw the cowpie at Joffrey deserved to die because he was the king and despite his absolute evilness, he didn't do anything treacherous to get to the throne and that's the penalty for attacking the king. He gained it fair and square as far as he knew.

This is definitely arguable with the rumour that Joffrey may be the son of Cersai and Jamie meaning that its not his birth right to be the King. And I'm sure some of those people believe that as I heard people calling for Stannis to be their King.

Theon had to kill him if he had any intentions to rule Winterfell. Can't have the message that people can spit on him and get away with it. And I'm not sure sympathetic is right word... it definitely wasn't a sympathetic scene for him, but it wasn't an outright evil scene either. Joffrey calling the death of Ned was pure evil. Theon is still cast as a bad guy and I don't feel sorry for him, but at the same time I'm able to recognize his actions are solely to please his father (or to show that he is better than his sister, which is still the same thing in my mind).

[Hasardeur]

man, I really want Theon to survive this season, but I have this gut feeling that he won't make it. I've said it before, but he's one of my favorite characters in the show and I'd be pissed if they let him die.

[cuevas, PhD.]

man, I really want Theon to survive this season, but I have this gut feeling that he won't make it. I've said it before, but he's one of my favorite characters in the show and I'd be pissed if they let him die.

Fuck Theon hope he dies from an STD he got from the slave.

[Dragon]

Yeah being a pathetic loser with daddy issues just makes him worse in my mind. I'd have cut Balon in half the second he slapped me during that first meeting.

You'd cut your dad in half for slapping you?

There'd be a ton of patricides in the world if this were the case. So to summarize, I'm saying you're full of it, and if you wanted to gain your father's respect, you'd do something daring. You know like take the seat of your father's most hated enemy.

I don't think it's smart that Theon did this, he's cut off from the rest of his father's men and he doesn't have that many in the first place.

man, I really want Theon to survive this season, but I have this gut feeling that he won't make it. I've said it before, but he's one of my favorite characters in the show and I'd be pissed if they let him die.

I don't think anyone gets killed in the show or the books because they deserve it. Otherwise Joffrey would have been given to the Tickler in the second episode.

[Hasardeur]

Fuck Theon hope he dies from an STD he got from the slave.

he can't say no to a pair of boobs, that's for sure :p

[Last Hearth]

What made that scene so good was that Theon clearly didn't want to do it. He deep down still want the people in Winterfell to love him as their new lord like they loved Ned Stark. It never even occurred to him to kill Rodrik until Dagmar pressured him into it.

He thought he could just drop in on Wintefell, take over, and everything can be the same as it was before, Bran will be his ward instead of the other way around, Luwin will still serve him, and everyone else goes about business as usual and he could live out his fantasy of being the next Ned Stark.

Ultimately that's why I feel sorry for him, he really is just another guy who gets into something way deeper than he can handle.

[Hasardeur]

I don't think anyone gets killed in the show or the books because they deserve it. Otherwise Joffrey would have been given to the Tickler in the second episode.

quite right, but he's in a rather terrible position right now. Robb is sending 300 riders to Winterfell and all he's got to defend the castle is a petty band of pirates. I'm curious to see how he's going to get out of that mess.

[kame-sennin]

He is completely lost, but not in the sense that he hasn't chosen a way. He's lost to Winterfell's cause- beyond redemption. I think an evil person that doesn't know how to rule doesn't know how to handle any given situation. Joffrey's answer to being hit with a cowpie is to attack the crowd and thus endanger himself even more. The fact that theon can be goaded into killing a man that he was allies with for years and years is a testament to the fact that he has gone full Vader. To think he can sleep it off after a night of whoring (Endangering himself and his men to boot) means he doesn't have to much remorse. He didn't even care about a clean cut.

I read the scene very differently. As has been said on the show, power lies where men believe it resides. Theon's grip on power is extremely tenuous because his men have no confidence in him. Any display of weakness and he's fucked. His first intension was to throw Rodrick in the dungeon, but his first mate, who is the only person in Westeros on his side, saved his ass by pointing out that Rodrick needed to be executed. And Theon wasn't being malicious when he did a poor job cutting off Rodrick's head. If he had the strength and skill to cut cleaner, he would have. Theon wasn't going to perform the execution at all, but Rodrick - who throughout the scene could see straight through Theon - goaded him into it. He referenced Ned Stark's credo. Rodrick knew that bringing up Theon's surrogate father, the man he was in the process of betraying to please his own father, would throw Theon off balance emotionally. Theon's flaw is that he is incredibly easy to manipulate due to his feelings of abandonment. That's what the scene was about in my view.

There is a huge difference between treachery & invasion.

No there isn't.

Even the way he was talking with Bran when he entered his room wasn't really intimidating or evil but rather doing what he thinks he has to.

That scene was really funny. It was like two kids arguing over the rules of some game.

[Brian Fellows]

You'd cut your dad in half for slapping you?

I'd cut my dad in half right now for fun if I could get away with it.

[iNvid02]

I can see Jon getting killed if he keeps acting like ned, kill her and get back to the group, and your wolf

[sangreal]

Theon was not that guy and he knew it. He didn't kill him because he deserved to die. He killed him because of peer pressure. There is a huge difference between treachery & invasion. This was treachery and deserved a spit in the face. Theon knew that 100% without a doubt. The whole thing was emotions running wild which is why Theon did it to begin with and why he handled it so sloppily- literally and figuratively. The scene was perfect, but the lack of remorse afterward is what seals the deal. He's loving the life or his expectation of it at least. I think one can be evil for various reasons and bad parenting doesn't excuse that. For all we know, his dad was possibly nicer than his granddad. He wasn't pleasing his father by doing this considering his father gave no command to invade Winterfell to begin with and had no say in the killing of one of its top men. If anything, it's more like sibling rivalry (I can't wait until that meeting).

I think the Targaryans would certainly call the Baratheons traitors, including Joffery by extension.

[kame-sennin]

Theon had to kill him if he had any intentions to rule Winterfell. Can't have the message that people can spit on him and get away with it. And I'm not sure sympathetic is right word... it definitely wasn't a sympathetic scene for him, but it wasn't an outright evil scene either. Joffrey calling the death of Ned was pure evil. Theon is still cast as a bad guy and I don't feel sorry for him, but at the same time I'm able to recognize his actions are solely to please his father (or to show that he is better than his sister, which is still the same thing in my mind).

That's what started this mess, but now everything he's doing is survival based. Remember that as soon as he failed to warn Rob about the invasion, which would mean betraying his father to protect the people who kept him as a hostage, he made himself an enemy of the Starks. At that very moment, his only chance of survival was for Balon Greyjoy to succeed, because otherwise, Rob would take his Theon's head. His only options are to help his father win the war, or wait patiently for death.

[Famassu]

His whole "I was never really part of your family" is BS considering Rob trusted him enough to send him out on his own.

Yet you didn't see what Catelyn thought of the Greyjoys? Even Jon had a bit of a crappy childhood because Cat didn't accept him, but at least he had Ned as a father-figure and WASN'T traded off from his real parents when he was 10 like Theon was. Stuff like that can do things to a child, things that could lay dormant for a long time until something snaps (in this case, Theon got back home and was treated like a traitor when he thought he'd be getting a hero's welcome).

[Tacitus_]

I think someone honorable would have had the right to order his death immediately. The person who threw the cowpie at Joffrey deserved to die because he was the king and despite his absolute evilness, he didn't do anything treacherous to get to the throne and that's the penalty for attacking the king. He gained it fair and square as far as he knew.

The peasants have heard the rumor (to them) that Joffrey is born of incest. They were yelling that he's a bastard. Not to mention that the peasants are starving, there's refugees coming from the surrounding lands... they ATE the fat guy!

[cuevas, PhD.]

Yet you didn't see what Catelyn thought of the Greyjoys? Even Jon had a bit of a crappy childhood because Cat didn't accept him, but at least he had Ned as a father-figure and WASN'T traded off from his real parents when he was 10 like Theon was. Stuff like that can do things to a child, things that could lay dormant for a long time until something snaps (in this case, Theon got back home and was treated like a traitor when he thought he'd be getting a hero's welcome).

Idk it seemed like John had a much worse time than Theon. Even Theon talked shit to him about being a bastard.

[sangreal]

The peasants have heard the rumor (to them) that Joffrey is born of incest. They were yelling that he's a bastard. Not to mention that the peasants are starving, there's refugees coming from the surrounding lands... they ATE the fat guy!

I'm not sure they ate him (although I did think the same), but that wasn't just any fat guy. I think he would be equivalent to the pope in their religion

[defel]

Wow, what an awesome episode.

[JGS]

This is definitely arguable with the rumour that Joffrey may be the son of Cersai and Jamie meaning that its not his birth right to be the King. And I'm sure some of those people believe that as I heard people calling for Stannis to be their King.

Joffrey didn't know that and there still wasn't an heir to the throne. that's what the wars were for. He was standing king and was working under the rules of the iron Throne.

Theon had to kill him if he had any intentions to rule Winterfell. Can't have the message that people can spit on him and get away with it. And I'm not sure sympathetic is right word... it definitely wasn't a sympathetic scene for him, but it wasn't an outright evil scene either. Joffrey calling the death of Ned was pure evil. Theon is still cast as a bad guy and I don't feel sorry for him, but at the same time I'm able to recognize his actions are solely to please his father (or to show that he is better than his sister, which is still the same thing in my mind).

He already had Winterfell and every one of his actions made it less likely he would rule Winterfell with any sort of real respect. No one is going to side with him even if Starks lose because. Robb barely got the Houses together for battle and now all he's done is draw attention to Greyjoy. He was only trying to gain apporval of his men which meant nothing.

I think the Targaryans would certainly call the Baratheons traitors, including Joffery by extension.

The Baratheon's were not taken in by the Mad King. Listening to Theon now is to forget that he has on numerous occasions likened his relationship to the Starks as being like family.

No way could I compare the actions of Theon. Based on the show info, there was good reason to battle the targaryns (To the point that they had no one on their side iirc). The last anyone heard from Theon, he was on a mission to get help from his family and then shows up as conquering Winterfell - his home.

For me the scene is Theon's last shot at redemption. He has one more time to act decently and he blows it.

The peasants have heard the rumor (to them) that Joffrey is born of incest. They were yelling that he's a bastard. Not to mention that the peasants are starving, there's refugees coming from the surrounding lands... they ATE the fat guy!

That's not Joffrey's problem. His "father" bestowed the kingship to him. A revolt is a revolt, but if the guy who threw the pie is caught, it makes sense that he gets the ax.

EDIT: Just noticed you said "ATE" lol. Now I'm wondering what happened to the guy. They were pretty hungry...

Idk it seemed like John had a much worse time than Theon. Even Theon talked shit to him about being a bastard.

I was going to say the same thing but I'm apparently fuzzy on season 1 realtionships. To me it seemed that Robb was closer to Theon and the younger siblings loved Jon and no one other than Jon was struggling with their reputation.

[TheJollyCorner]

maaaaaaaan.... The Hound fucking owned this episode.