Lord Snow (episode)

Lord Snow

"**Lord Snow**" is the third episode of Season 1 of *Game of Thrones*, and the third episode of the entire series.

## Plot

### Synopsis

Jon impresses Tyrion at Castle Black; Ned confronts his past and future at King's Landing; Daenerys finds herself at odds with Viserys.

### Summary

King Robert's caravan arrives at King's Landing, led by Lord Eddard, with Jory at his side and Mordane and his daughters coming up behind him, to the applause of a large crowd. Almost immediately upon getting off his horse, Eddard is greeted by the royal steward, who asks him to attend a meeting of the Small Council: the royal steward asks if Ned if he'd like to change into "more appropriate clothing", but Ned just silently prompts him to led the way, removing nothing but his gloves. The royal steward concedes, leading him towards the Red Keep. Ned walks into the throne room, where he finds Ser Jaime, dressed in his full Kingsguard armor, sitting on the steps leading up to the Iron Throne itself. The two of them recollect the execution of Ned's father and older brother, with Ned bitterly reminding Jaime that he did nothing to save them: Jaime replies that when he killed the Mad King, it felt like justice. Ned, disgusted by that notion, insists Jaime did it for himself, not for justice. He then walks towards the small council chamber, leaving Jaime alone.

   Ned emerges into the council chamber, where he finds the Small Council and its members: Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, the Master of Coin and a childhood friend of his wife. Lord Varys, the Master of Whisperers. Grand Maester Pycelle, the king's advisor on all things academic and scientific. And Lord Renly Baratheon, the Master of Laws and King Robert's youngest brother. Varys immediately offers condolences for Joffrey's injuries, but Ned replies that its sad he didn't save a prayer for the butcher's boy. Moving up to the table, he hugs Renly, before greeting Baelish, who lament on the injury Baelish received during his early attempt at courting Catelyn. The group recommends beginning the meeting, leaving Ned confused that they are starting without the king: Renly jokes that Robert never attends small council meetings. They discuss preparations for a tourney in honor of Ned's appointment, in which Baelish reveals that the Kingdoms are effectively six million in debt. Ned is incredulous, unwilling to believeJon Arryn allowed Robert to bankrupt the realm, but the council reaffirms that Robert does what he wants, sometimes in spite of sage counsel. Ned states that the tourney is an extravagance they can't afford, and following an outburst, he apologizes to the council and suggests letting them sleep on it.

Elsewhere in the city, at the queen's royal apartment, Cersei applies ointment and bandages to Joffrey's wound, despite his objections. Cersei insists that Joffrey perputuate the lie of what happened on the kingsroad, emphasizing that when he becomes king, the truth will be what he makes it. Joffrey asks if he will have to marry Sansa, and Cersei says that he will: however, he will only to have to be with her when he has to have children, and that he doesn't need to spend any prolonged periods of time with her if he doesn't want to. Joffrey rants that the North shouldn't be treated as equals, and that they should have a standing, royal army instead of relying on bannermen. Cersei combats this by pointing out that the northerners understand their land better than they do, and that any royal army would be wiped out come winter. The two agree on one thing however: the Starks are enemies.

In the Tower of the Hand, Mordane oversees Arya and Sansa while they eat their lunch. Arya continually stabs the table with a knife, and when asked to stop by Sansa, she replies that she is practicing to kill Joffrey, before calling Sansa a liar once again for lying about the incident involving Mycah. Mordane sends her to her room, and just as she is leaving, Ned turns up. After hearing what happened, Ned concurs, and Arya leaves. He gives Sansa a doll, one he bought from a toymaker. Sansa is ungrateful, remarking she hasn't played with dolls since she was eight, and requests to leave. Ned allows her, joking that fighting wars was easier than daughters.

Later, in her room, Arya pulls out her new sword, and examines it. She hears a knock on the door, and tells the person to go away: only for her father to insist she open it. She approaches it, but forgets to put her sword away. She opens it to let her father in, who almost immediately notices the sword and examines it, noting that a lady shouldn't be playing with swords, to which Arya adamantly declares she doesn't want to be a lady, and wasn't playing with it. Sitting down next to Ned, he asks Arya if she knows the first thing about sword fighting, which, to his amusement, she replies "stick them with the pointy end." She admits that she tried to learn with the help of Mycah, lamenting with sadness that she got him killed. Ned assures her it wasn't her fault, and Arya agrees, once again insisting it was Joffrey's fault, and Sansa covered for him. Ned explains Sansa's position as his princess, and that she must stand by his side, even when he's wrong: Arya, confused, wonders why Ned would allow his daughter to marry someone like Joffrey. Arya apologizes, saying she doesn't hate Sansa, to which Ned tells her they can't be fighting amongst themselves, especially in a place as dangerous as King's Landing. He allows her to keep Needle, but as he is leaving, he points out that if she's going to own a weapon, she better know how to use it.

Back in Winterfell, a raven purches itself in the window to Bran's room, who is now fully awake. Bran looks at it as it squawks, but Old Nan, the woman sitting beside him, tells him not to listen to it, remarking that they are all liars, before offering to tell him a story. Bran tells her he hates her stories, but Old Nan insists he doesn't, as he seemed to like her tales of Ser Duncan the Tall. Bran tells her he hates those stories, but he likes the scary ones. Following his wishes, Old Nan begins to tell the tale of the Long Night: a winter that lasted a generation, where children were born and raised in complete darkness, and nobles froze in their holdfasts: but worst of all was the coming of the White Walkers, who rode on dead horses and ice spiders the size of hounds. Before she can finish, Robb walks into the room, telling her to go fetch supper while he looks over Bran. After she's left, he remarks on her outlandish stories, telling Bran that he once got told a story about how they lived in the eye of a blue-eyed giant named Macumber. Bran asks if what Maester Luwin says about his legs are true, and Robb grimly nods that they are. Bran bitterly states that he would rather be dead, much to Robb's dismay.

   Back in King's Landing, Catelyn and Ser Rodrik arrive through the main gates on horseback, where they are immediately greeted by two gold cloaks of the City Watch, who ask Catelyn to accompany them, as somebody wishes to see them: while suspicious, she relents, and follows them. She is taken to one of Littlefinger's brothels, where she storms inside. Baelish, ecstatic to see her, motions for all prosititutes in the room to leave. Catelyn, insulted by being summoned to a brothel, berates Littlefinger, but he replies that he only chose the venue because it was the safest and most discreet. Catelyn asks how Littlefinger knew she was coming, to which Varys emerges from the back, making mention of his vast network of spies, and that he also knows about the dagger. Catelyn gives it to him to examine, to which Varys notes it is valyrian steel, but knows nothing of who owns it. Littlefinger is amused by this, remarking that he finally knows something Varys doesn't. When asked, he replies that the dagger was once his, but he lost it in a bet at the Tourney at Lannisport: he reveals that he lost it to Tyrion Lannister.

At Castle Black, Tyrion, along with Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, stand on a balcony, watching over the training of the new recruits in the training yard. Ser Alliser Thorne, the master-at-arms for the castle, watches Jon Snow as he trains against two new recruits: Grenn and Pyp. Jon finishes battling Grenn, breaking his nose in the process, blood gushing from his nostrils. Ser Alliser, unimpressed, sends Pyp next, but he throws his sword wildly at Jon, allowing him to duck and strike him in the chest, leaving Pyp instantly defeated. Jon battles another, but is once again victorious. Finally, he battles Rast  and one other recruit at once, but bests them both. Disgusted, Ser Alliser dismisses them all, but gives Jon no congratulations, instead mocking him with the nickname "Lord Snow": Jon takes his sword and storms off, annoyed at not getting praise. Tyrion remarks on Alliser's attitude, but Mormont replies that he needs men of theNight's Watch, and Ser Alliser is the best trainer they have. Mormont gives Tyrion a letter from Winterfell that was meant for Jon: when asked if it was good news or bad, Mormont replies that its equal parts good and bad.

    Back at King's Landing, Ned is leaving the small council chamber after another meeting, but is stopped momentarily by Grand Maester Pycelle, who gives him a message from Winterfell informing him that Bran has woken up. Pycelle takes his leave just as Baelish is turning up, who smugly asks if he'd like to share the news with his wife. When Ned tells Baelish that his wife is in Winterfell, Baelish vaguely alludes to that not being the case, and wordlessly asks Ned to follow him. They later arrive just outside his brothel. Ned, feeling insulted, grabs Baelish by the throat and pins him to the wall. Catelyn appears from the window above, leaving Ned surprised. Eager to see his wife, he lets go and wonders inside, while Baelish remarks on how Starks are quick to anger but have slow minds, before moving to join them.

Returning to Castle Black, Jon is in the armoury returning his equipment when Grenn and Pyp close the door behind them, venting their frustration at Jon for humiliating them in the yard: Rast is also present. Jon remarks that Grenn's broken nose is an improvement, to which Rast and Pyp pin him down, while Grenn draws a knife to his throat. Before they can kill Jon however, the door opens and Tyrion steps inside. Seeing the scene before him, he threatens to have their heads mounted on spikes if they don't stand down. Letting Jon go and returning to their business, while Rast storms out of the room. Jon laments at the unfairness of it, stating that they hate him because he's better than them, and that nobody but Tyrion warned him what the Watch was really like: Tyrion states that they hate him because he *thinks*he's better. He points out that Jon grew up with a professional master-at-arms to train him, while Grenn, Pyp and Rast are but simple commoners who had never picked up a sword in their life before now, and were forced to give up their lives to the Watch simply for trying to survive. Leaving Jon to stew on these thoughts, Tyrion gives him the letter from Winterfell, informing that Bran will not only live, but has waken up. Jon is ecstatic.

Returning to King's Landing in Littlefinger's brothel, Baelish warns them against accusing the queen of trying to murder Bran, as it would be considered treason to do so. Catelyn states they have proof and a blade, but Baelish waves this off, saying Tyrion will simply claim it was stolen from him, and that the only man who can say otherwise is now dead. Catelyn assures Ned that Baelish has promised to help them find the truth, and that she trusts him with her life. Baelish promises to keep Ned alive, admitting that the task will be difficult, but that he can't refuse Catelyn's call for help: she thanks him, to Baelish sarcastically remarks not to spread word of this, as he has a reputation to maintain.

Elsewhere in the city, Jaime visits Cersei in her apartment. Cersei berates him for trying to have Bran assassinated, stating that he is only a child, and now they've drawn unnecessary attention to themselves. She asks him what they will do if Bran remembers, but he retorts that they can claim whatever they like, and the people are more likely to believe the royalty than the word of some ten-year-old boy. Jaime jokes about going to war with Robert if necessary, to which Cersei slaps him. He grabs her, whispering that he would gleefully destroy anyone and everyone to keep their secret safe. Cersei does not resist his embrace, nor refute his point.

Late at night, Jory holds Ned's horse as he says goodbye to Catelyn. She tells him she wishes to see her daughters, but Ned replies that it is too dangerous, and that until they know who killed Bran, they can't risk being discovered. The two of them joke in regards to Ned almost strangling Baelish earlier that day, and Ned promises to get Robert's help, before the two passionately kiss. Letting Catelyn go, he quietly watches her mount her horse, departing through the main gates of the city with Ser Rodrik.

    The next day, Robert sits at his desk in his royal apartment, sipping at a glass of wine. Present with him is Ser Barristan Selmy, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and his cupbearer, Lancel Lannister. Robert and Barristan exchange war stories, starting off with the first kills they ever made: Ser Barristan states his first kill was a Tyroshi, killing him with a lance through the heart. Robert states his first kill was a Tarly boy at one of the three battles of Summerhall. His horse was killed, forcing to move on foot, where a Tarly boy thought he could kill Robert and end the war as a hero: instead, Robert caved his chest with his warhammer, but before the final blow, the boy begged for mercy: Robert ends the story laughing, implying that he killed the boy anyway. He remarks that had the boy been smart and remained on the edge of the battlefield, he'd still be alive today, but would be living a miserable existence: he ends this by demanding more wine from Lancel. Annoyed that his cupbearer has poured barely a sip, he yells at him to get more. Just as he is leaving, Robert asks Jaime to come inside, where he briefly mocks Jaime and the Lannisters  before asking for his first kill. Jaime states it was one of the outlaws of the Kingswood Brotherhood, to which Ser Barristan points out he was there, and that Jaime was only a sixteen-year-old squire then: Jaime compliments Ser Barristan on his performance that day, where he personally killed the Brotherhood's leader, Simon Toyne. Robert asks if this outlaw Jaime killed had any last words, but Ser Jaime simply replies that he cut his head off, making Ser Barristan chuckle slightly. The room falls silent however when Robert asks what the Mad King said when Jaime killed him, and whether he called him a traitor. Jaime simply replies that he said "burn them all" the entire time, as he had been saying that entire day. He then returns to guard duty outside, leaving a stunned Robert and Ser Barristan.

In Essos, Drogo's  *khalasar* continues its trek through the Dothraki Sea. Near the front, Daenerys rides on her horse, looking far more confident than she used to be, with Ser Jorah riding at her side, and her other bodyguard, Rakharo, just behind them. Daenerys asks if the slaves they are travelling with were bought by the Dothraki, to which Jorah replies the nomadic people don't believe in money, and that most slaves were given to them as gifts or tribute. Daenerys, seeing some of the slaves being abused due to exhaustion, orders the *khalasar*to halt for a while, to allow the others some rest. Jorah says she is beginning to talk like a queen: Daenerys corrects him, stating she is a khaleesi, not a queen. With the horde having stopped, Daenerys dismounts and wonders into the tall grass to have a look around. Moving into a clearing, she hears a horse galloping towars her. Viserys bursts from the grass and hurriedly dismounts, furious. He is angry that he was commanded by his sister to stop, arguing that he is "a king", and she is not. He grabs her by the throat, only for a whip to wrap around his neck and violently pull him back to the ground. The suspect is revealed to be Rakharo, accompanied by Irri on foot and Ser Jorah on horseback. While Viserys struggles on the ground, Rakharo asks if she wants him dead, to which Daenerys adamantly replies she does not, and asks Rakharo to release him. Rakharo begrudgingly relents, letting Viserys go. The prince commands Ser Jorah to kill Rakharo, but one look at the Dothraki and Jorah ignores him, asking Daenerys if she wishes to return to the horde. Daenerys wordlessly mounts her horse and begins to leave. Viserys tries to mount his own, but Rakharo, in one last bout of spite, tells him he will walk, before taking his horse and leaving, with Viserys looking on with exasperation and annoyance.

Back in Westeros, at Castle Black, Jon walks through the castle, arriving at the elevator and taking it to the top of the Wall. Once at the top, he moves through the numerous corridors before finding his uncle Benjen, who is awaiting near the edge. Jon joins him as he gazes in awe at the vast wilderness of the area beyond the Wall. Benjen announces that he will be leading a ranging beyond the Wall later today, and will be gone for several months, with orders to find out what happened to Ser Waymar and complete his original mission. Jon asks to go with him, but Benjen refuses him, stating that at the Wall, a man earns what he earns when he earns it. Promising to talk with him once he returns, he leaves Jon on the Wall's edge, returning to Castle Black down below.

In the castle itself, inside the mess hall, Yoren, a wandering crow, talks with Tyrion, the two of them sharing a drink. Tyrion jokes about Yoren's job, who wanders the Seven Kingdoms gathering up criminals to take to the Wall to train as fresh recruits for the Watch. Benjen walks in just as he finishes, who asks if Tyrion thinks the Watch is a joke, clearly not impressed with being mocked by the lord. Benjen continues by stating that he hopes Tyrion has enjoyed his stay at Castle Black, and hopes that while he's back home, that he thinks about all the "jesters" who will die north of the Wall on rangings either to wildlings or cold. Tyrion goes onto say that while he actually respects the Night's Watch, but doesn't believe in the threats he claims exist, and that the few that actually do aren't much of a threat at all. Benjen admits that the wildlings might not be the real threat, but states that other reports are what's giving him sleepless nights. He concludes by telling Tyrion to not claim to have information on what he doesn't know, before saying goodbye to Yoren and departing. Tyrion jokes that he thinks Benjen might be starting to like him, before having his cup filled up by Yoren with more ale. Yoren states he will be heading to King's Landing to get more recruits for the Watch, as to which Tyrion declares he will be riding with him, and living in luxury: after all, nobody turns down a Lannister.

    Back in Essos, after the Dothraki have once again made camp, Irri continues to teach Daenerys how to speak Dothraki while braiding her hair: the khaleesi is gradually improving, as is evidenced. It is here that Irri discovers that Daenerys is pregnant, much to the joy of the princess. Later at night, Ser Jorah is comparing the Dothraki arakh to the Westerosi longsword with Rakharo, simultaneously teaching him the common tongue. Rakharo concludes that armor makes a man slow, but Jorah points out that it also protects him from injury for the most part. Rakharo reveals that his father was bloodrider  to Khal Bharbo: Drogo's father. They are interrupted by Irri, who argues with Rakharo about butchering an animal for dinner: the handmaiden finally reveals that Daenerys is pregnant, much to the shock of Ser Jorah. He declares that he'll have the men butcher a goat for supper, and Irri, satisified, leaves. Ser Jorah announces he must ride for Qohor for an unknown reason, assuring Rakharo that he will catch up with the horde, as they are hard to miss.

In Westeros, at Castle Black, Tyrion watches Jon training in the yard with Grenn and Pyp, this time more friendly and less confrontational. He disarms Grenn, before giving the man advice on mobility, stating a moving target is harder to hit. He looks up and sees Tyrion peering through the doorway, and the lord smiles at Jon with pride before turning away and entering the hall. Jon gives Pyp similar advice, before giving Grenn his sword back and returning to training. Maester Aemon, the maester of Castle Black, asks Tyrion how many summer he's lived through, to which he replies he lived through nine, and that the one of his birth was three years long. Aemon states this summer has lasted nine, but that reports from the Citadel say the days grow shorter: like the Starks always say, winter is coming. Mormont states that reports detail that wildlings are fleeing south in ever growing numbers, and that entire villages have been left abandoned: all because they say they've seen the White Walkers. Tyrion waves this off as a fairy tale, but Mormont insists that Will, the man Ned Stark executed, continued to swear he had seen them right up to the moment he was beheaded. This gives Tyrion's pause, even as Aemon laments that the Watch is their first and only line of defense against attacks, and now they're manned by less than a thousand men, all of them either tired old men or criminals going through training: even the majority of the original nineteen castles built to defend the Wall have been abandoned, with only three left. Mormont pleads with Tyrion to ask the queen to send help, to which Aemon prays they are ready when winter finally does come.

Back in Essos, at the Dothraki camp, Daenerys lies with Drogo at night after having sex. She suddenly announces that the child will be a boy. When Drogo asks how she knows this, Daenerys replies that she simply knows. Drogo smiles at this, and they kiss.

Back at the Wall, at night, Tyrion pisses off the edge, just as he promised. Waiting behind him is Jon, who announces that he's sorry the dwarf is leaving. Tyrion promises to give Bran best wishes from Jon when he passes by Winterfell, and the two give a final parting farewell, demonstrating the unique respect they have for each other. Tyrion then leaves, leaving Jon alone on top of the Wall.

Back in King's Landing, Arya arrives in the Tower of the Hand to find a single man with two wooden swords waiting for her. Turning, he introduces himself as Syrio Forel, First Sword to the Sealord of Braavos, and her dancing master: Arya realizes her father must have hired Syrio to teach her how to use a sword. He throws her one of the swords to use, but she instantly drops it, with Syrio remarking that tomorrow, she will learn to catch it. Arya picks it up, and the two of them begin to practice as Ned stands in the doorway, watching with a smile. As they progress however, his smile diminishes, and the sounds of real swords clashing, intermixed with screams and war cries in the background, begin to fill his mind.

## Appearances

### Characters

#### First

* Royal Steward
* Lord Petyr Baelish
* Lord Varys
* Lord Renly Baratheon
* Grand Maester Pycelle
* Old Nan
* Goldcloak 1
* Goldcloak 2
* Drunk man
* King's Landing whore
* Lord Commander Jeor Mormont.
* Pypar
* Grenn
* Ser Alliser Thorne
* Maester Aemon
* Lancel Lannister
* Lord Commander Barristan Selmy
* Rakharo
* Yoren
* Syrio Forel

### Locations

#### First

* Westeros
	+ The North
		- The Gift
			* The Wall
				+ Castle Black
* Essos
	+ Free Cities
		- Tyrosh (first mentioned)
		- Qohor (first mentioned)

#### Recurring

* Westeros
	+ The North
		- The Gift
			* The Wall
		- Winterfell
	+ The Crownlands
		- King's Landing
* Essos
	+ Dothraki Sea

## Production

### Cast

**Main Cast**

* Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
* Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon
* Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
* Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark
* Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
* Emilia Clarke as Princess Daenerys Targaryen
* Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
* Aiden Gillen as Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish
* Harry Lloyd as Prince Viserys Targaryen
* Kit Harrington as Jon Snow
* Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
* Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
* Richard Madden as Robb Stark
* Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
* Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon
* Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
* Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo

**Guest starring**

* Conleth Hill as Lord Varys
* James Cosmo as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont
* Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
* Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel
* Ian McElhinney as Lord Commander Barristan Selmy
* Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
* Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
* Francis Magee as Yoren
* Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
* Gethin Anthony as Lord Renly Baratheon
* Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon
* Miltos Yerolemou as Syrio Forel
* Margaret John as Old Nan
* Susan Brown as Septa Mordane
* Robert Sterne as Royal Steward
* Mark Stanley as Grenn
* Josef Altin as Pypar
* Luke McEwan as Rast
* Elyes Gabel asRakharo
* Amrita Acharia as Irri
* Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister
* Paul Portelli as Drunk man
* Nickovich Sammut as Goldcloak 1
* Seamus Kelly as Goldcloak 2
* Emily Diamond as King's Landing whore

**Cast notes**

* 17 of 19 cast members for the first season appear in this episode.
* Starring cast members Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) and Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
* Aidan Gillen makes his first appearance as Petyr Baelish and is added to the opening credits, having being absent from the previous two episodes.
* Richard Madden (Robb Stark) is credited after Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark) in the opening sequence despite being credited before him in the previous two episodes.
* Casting associate Robert Sterne plays the Royal Steward who welcomes Eddard Stark to King's Landing.
* Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) is credited as 'also starring' during the closing credits of this episode.

## Notes

* The episode takes its title from a mocking nickname given to Jon Snow by Ser Alliser Thorne.
	+ Like many episodes of *Game of Thrones*, the episode same refers to multiple plots of the episode in a metaphorical manner. Whilst the title directly refers to Ser Alliser's quote, it also refers to the disdain Jon's compatriots have for him, as all they see is a "Lord Snow" instead of a "brother of the Night's Watch", which also ties in with Jon's need to fit in. It can also refer to Ned Stark and his children having to adapt to life in King's Landing, where Ned is traditionally "Lord of Snow", and far from his homeland.
* This episode is dedicated to the memory of Margaret John, who plays Old Nan, and who sadly passed away on 2 February 2011 after a brief illness.
* During the Small Council scene, Renly hands Ned Stark a scroll containing the announcement of the tournament and the prizes for the winners, which he then reads off as "40,000 Gold Dragons  for the champion, 20,000 for the runner-up, and 20,000 for the best archer". Pycelle then asks if the crown can afford 80,000 Gold Dragons in prize money. If you pause when Ned first unrolls the scroll, its contents are actually clearly legible: it goes on to say that there is a 20,000 Gold Dragon prize for "Combat with Swords and Clubs", which makes for a total tournament debt of 100,000 Gold Dragons. It is unclear why this discrepancy occurred.
* The Dothraki word that Irri is heard teaching Daenerys, "*athjahakar*", is the Dothraki word for "pride". It is derived from "*jahak*", the long braid worn by Dothraki warriors which they take great pride in, as they only cut their braids when defeated.
* When the Royal Steward greets Eddard Stark and says that Grand Maester Pycelle has called a meeting of the Small Council, the steward mispronounces "maester" as "my-stir"; the correct pronunciation is actually "may-stir". This was reportedly a common mistake on set which took the cast some time to get right.
* When Joffrey complains to Cersei that every lord in the realm commands his own soldiers raised from his feudal lands, he comments that he feels this is primitive, "no better than the Hill tribes." This is the first mention of the hill tribes of the Mountains of the Moon which ring the Vale of Arryn, though they won't be encountered on-screen until two episodes after this, in "The Wolf and the Lion".
* Joffrey also mentions "uncle Kevan": Kevan Lannister first appears on-screen five episodes from this in "The Pointy End". Of course, Joffrey is speaking loosely, as Kevan is actually his mother's uncle and therefore his great-uncle (it's common in real-life to refer to great-uncles as just "uncle").
* Old Nan offers to tell Bran a story about Ser Duncan the Tall. Duncan, also known as "Dunk", is one of the main characters in the *Tales of Dunk and Egg* prequel novellas, which take place 89 years before the events of *Game of Thrones* (there are time skips between novellas in the series, and George R.R. Martin has said that he wants to continue them all the way up to the deaths of the characters, about 50 years before *Game of Thrones*). Ser Duncan visited Winterfell in one of his adventures, and it is speculated that Old Nan met him in her youth.
* The scene between Robert, Barristan, and Jaime, the scene between Tyrion, Yoren, and Benjen, and the scene between Jorah, Rakharo and Irri were written at the last minute because the rough-cut of the episode was running short, and filmed in post-production re-shoots. Note that all of these scenes are interior shots which didn't need to be filmed on-location.
* It is never revealed in the show who sent the assassin to kill Bran and who is the real owner of the dagger. In the novel *"A Clash of Kings"* Catelyn is told to whom the dagger belonged; in the novel *"A Storm of Swords"* two characters figure out, based on circumstantial evidence, who sent the assassin.
* This is the first episode in which no deaths occurred.
	+ It is also the only episode in this season with no deaths.
		- This makes it also the first episode without deaths before the start of the War of Five Kings.

## Episode commentary

Actors Isaac Hempstead Wright, Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner provide an audio commentary for the episode on the DVD and Blu-ray releases.

* The young actors sing along with the main theme during the title sequence.
* Sean Bean was noted by the younger actors for secreting chocolate bars on his person and sneaking them to his young co-stars during filming.
* Conleth Hill apparently enjoyed trying to put Sophie Turner off during her close-ups.
* English-accented Sophie Turner and Irish-accented Jack Gleeson would imitate one another's accents for amusement between takes.
* Isaac Hempstead Wright's only scene with Jack Gleeson was a mock battle scene in the pilot, where Bran and Tommen have a mock fight while Joffrey and Robb watch on (this scene occurred in the book). This was not used in the final episode.
* The argument between Arya and Sansa at the breakfast table was Sophie Turner's first scene filmed for the first season. Maisie Williams dented the table with the knife so badly it had to be rotated several times to hide the marks from the camera.
* Mark Addy spooked one of the horses in the king's arrival scene in the first episode with his laugh, while he was talking to Isaac Hempstead Wright.
* Mark Addy's prosthetic beard was apparently easily removable so he could eat lunch without ruining it.
* Eugene Simon taught Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner some magic tricks between takes.
* Emilia Clarke was allowed to pick one of four horses for Daenerys's use in the series.
* Harry Lloyd was responsible for introducing the iPhone game *Fruit Ninja* to the cast. It went on to become a craze on set, with cast and crew competing to see who could get the highest score.
* Joseph Mawle told Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner that if acting was easy, everyone would be doing it, so not to be worried if they found scenes hard because the producers had reasons for choosing them and they would be able to do the job.
* The producers considered asking Miltos Yerolemou to shave his hair off to match the appearance of Syrio Forel in the books, but decided he looked better with his hair. Author George R.R. Martin himself would later say in another Season 1 commentary that he didn't care about such minor differences, being more concerned with the satisfying performance of the actor.

## In the books

The episode, like the majority of Season 1, is adapted from the first book of *A Song of Ice and Fire*, *A Game of Thrones.*This episode is adapted from the following chapters:

* Catelyn IV: Catelyn and Ser Rodrik arrive in King's Landing. She meets with Lord Baelish and Varys about the dagger, where she discovers it was lost in a bet to Tyrion Lannister.
* Jon III: Jon  defeats several of the new recruits, who later gang up on him and try to kill him. Jon is saved at the last moment, the person responsible showing Jon the error of his ways. Jon learns that Bran has woken up.
* Eddard IV: Ned Stark arrives at King's Landing, where he immediately attends a meeting of the Small Council: he discovers the kingdoms are in severe debt, and concludes the tourney cannot be held due to its extravagance. Ned follows Baelish to a brothel to meet Catelyn, where they plan their justice. Ned says goodbye to Catelyn, hoping that Robert is still the same man he once was.
* Tyrion III: Tyrion promises Lord Commander Mormont  that he will get help from the king for the Night's Watch. Tyrion pisses off the edge of the Wall, says his final farewell to Jon, and promises to do what he can for Bran.
* Arya II: Arya  abandons her dinner, still bitter over Mycah's death. Arya later talks with her father, who lets her keep Needle  on the promise she doesn't stab Sansa  with it. Arya meets her new dancing master.
* Daenerys III: Daenerys embraces her life as a khaleesi in Drogo's *khalasar.* Daenerys is confronted by a furious Viserys, but is saved from harm at the last moment. Viserys' demeanour begins to crack.
* Bran IV: Old Nan  tells Bran a story about the Long Night.

## Memorable quotes

**Jaime Lannister**: "It must be strange for you, coming into this room. I was standing right here when it happened. He was very brave, your brother. Your father too. They didn't deserve to die like that; nobody deserves to die like that."

**Eddard Stark**: "But 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, and the Mad King laughing. And later, when I watched the Mad King die, I remembered him laughing as your father burned...it felt like justice."

**Eddard**: "Is that what you tell yourself at night? You're a servant of justice? That you were avenging my father when you shoved your sword in Aerys Targaryen's back?"

**Jaime**: "Tell me, if I'd stabbed the Mad King in the belly instead of the back, would you admire me more?"

**Eddard**: "You served him well. When serving was safe."

**Eddard**: "War was easier than daughters!"

**Cersei Lannister**: "When Aerys Targaryen sat on the Iron Throne, your father was a rebel and a traitor. Someday, you'll sit on the throne, and the truth will be what you make it."

**Joffrey Baratheon**: "Do I have to marry her?"

**Cersei**: "Yes, she's very beautiful, and young...and if you don't like her, you only need to see her on formal occasions, and when the time comes, to make little princes and princesses...and if you'd rather fuck painted whores, you'll fuck painted whores. And if you'd rather lie with noble virgins, so be it. You are my darling boy, and the world will be exactly as you want it to be."

**Cersei**: "Everyone who isn't us is an enemy."

**Benjen Stark**: "You're no ranger. Here, a man gets what he earns, when he earns it."

**Jaime**: "I think we can outfox a ten year old."

**Cersei**: "And my husband?"

**Jaime**: "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 slaps Jaime. He chuckles, and she tries to slap him again, but he grabs her arm and holds her from behind firmly but gently]*

**Cersei**: *(annoyed)* "Let me go..."

**Jaime**: *(impassioned)* "Never."

**Cersei**: "Let me go..."

**Jaime**: *(whispering reassuringly in Cersei's ear)* "The boy won't talk. And if he does, I'll kill him, Ned Stark, the king, the whole bloody lot of them until you and I are the only people left in this world."
*(Cersei and Jaime quietly sink into a loving embrace)*

**Robert Baratheon**: What about Aerys Targaryen? What did the Mad King say, when you stabbed him in the back? I never asked. *[Smirks]* Did he call you a traitor? Did he plead for a reprieve?

**Jaime**: "He just said the same thing he'd been saying for hours... 'Burn them all.'" *[Robert's smile vanishes.]* "If that's all, Your Grace."

**Benjen Stark**: "We've been receiving disturbing reports."

**Jon Snow**: "What kind of reports?"

**Benjen Stark**: "The kind I don't want to believe."

**Maester Aemon**: The Starks are always right eventually; winter *is* coming. This one will be long and dark things will come with it...When winter *does* come, gods help us all if we're not ready!