Missandei and Gray worm exchange stories of their heritage as she teaches him. He tells her that he was nothing before he was unsullied. Daenerys interrupts telling them that his studies will have to wait, it’s time.
Her army invades Meereen through the city’s sewer tunnels at night. The unsullied tell the slaves of Meereen that a day of freedom is worth a lifetime as a slave. That Daenerys is trustworthy, and that they should follow her. They provide the weapons the slaves will need to slay their masters. As dawn breaks, the slaves take their freedom and celebrate The Mother of Dragons as their savior. White Beard advises Daenerys that sometimes injustice should be answered with mercy, she replies that she will respond to injustice with justice. The Masters of the city are then nailed to stakes and left to die, as the slave children were found on their way to Meereen.
Bronn continues to teaches Jaime to fight. Bronn yanks Jaime’s golden hand from his wrist and smacks him to the ground with it, to teach Jaime to fight dirty if he wants to win. He then tells Jaime that he doesn’t believe Tyrion killed his son, and tells him that he should go to speak to his Brother.
Jaime visits Tyrion, and apologizes for not coming sooner. He admits that Cersei asked him to kill Tyrion. Also that Cersei is offering a knighthood to anyone who brings her the head of Sansa Stark.
Little Finger tells Sansa that he is marrying her Aunt Lysa, and delivering her to the Eyrie at the same time. She asks him if he killed Joffrey, he asks who could have helped him with the conspiracy? She says that she doesn’t believe Dontos was involved because Little Finger wouldn’t trust a drunk, or that her Husband Tyrion was either. He says she is right, that she herself was involved, through the necklace that Dontos gave her. The poison being the missing stone. He says that a man with no motive is a man that no one suspects. She says that she doesn’t believe him, that he wouldn’t risk the danger. Little Finger replies that he would risk everything to get what he wants. That Joffrey wouldn’t be a reliable ally, he was too unpredictable. His new friends are very predictable and wanted Joffrey dead very much.
The Queen of Thorns advises Margaery to act quickly in ensnaring a match with Joffrey’s Brother Tommen, the next in line. She reveals that she is the one who had Joffrey killed, that she wouldn’t really leave Margaery to the will of that little monster. Margaery seems shocked by the confession.
At the wall, Jon Snow teaches the Night’s Watch how to fight the Wildlings. Alliser Thorne scolds Jon Snow for forgetting his place, saying he has no right to teach them. Insulting him and ordering him to go clean chamber pots instead.
Cersei calls on Jaime and scolds him for only having one guard posted on Tommen’s door, accusing him of not protecting their Sons. She tells him to go find Sansa Stark and bring her her head. Jaime tells her that Tyrion didn’t kill their son. She says that he has always pitied Tyrion, and orders 4 guards to be posted at Tommen’s door, day and night.
Margaery sneaks into Tommen’s room to ‘get acquainted’ with him. She tells him that they are betrothed, and that they should get to know each other and that they should keep it from Cersei. She tells him that she is happy that he isn’t cruel like his Brother, because once they marry, she will be his forever. She kisses him goodnight, and leaves.
Jaime gives Brienne his Valyrian steel sword, and tells her that she is to use it to rescue and defend Sansa Stark, along with a suit of armor. She vows to find her for Lady Catelyn and for him. He also gives her Podrick as her squire. She names the sword Oathkeeper, and she leaves on her mission.
Samwell worries about Gilly, upset that they have orders to not leave the castle. Jon worries about Bran.
Thorne sanctions Jon Snows foray to Craster’s Keep to slay the mutineers, but will not order anyone to go with, Jon must get volunteers. A new recruit named Locke volunteers, along with several others.
Karl Tanner, overseeing the mutineers at Craster’s Keep is given the last male child of Craster and told that the sons were offered up to the White Walkers. He sends one of his men to take the baby to the woods and leave it to the Walkers. Walking back he taunts Jon Snow’s wolf Ghost that they have in a cage, by pouring water in the snow out of the wolf’s reach. As he stands the water freezes, and he runs. A sign that the White Walker’s are around.
Bran hears the baby’s cry, and uses warging skills to find where it’s coming from, his wolf is caught in a trap and he is yanked out of the trance, but not before seeing that they have Jon’s wolf. The next morning they investigate, getting captured by the mutineers. They torture Hodor, and deliver Bran and the others to Karl. Tanner knows that Bran is high born, but not who he is. Karl threatens Meera, and Bran tells him he Jon Snow’s Brother.
A White Walker rides with the baby in it’s arms, the baby is alive. He delivers it to a circle of ice shards and places it on a frozen altar. Another White Walker comes and takes him in his arms, touching the baby’s face, the child’s eyes turn icy blue, now a White Walker himself. Fade to black.
The decision to show a child actually taken and turned into a White Walker was an interesting visual decision, well done I think. The small changes from the book are often a bit unsettling, leaving me to constantly consider why? Such as the mutineers being alive, is it simply to draw out the story for the screen? I love the Queen of Thorns, and wish that she would stick around longer, if only for entertainment. I can understand the change in making Tommen a little older, making it only a little less creepy for Margaery to be trying to seduce him into marriage. As was the decision in making Daenerys a little older, and the scene with her being taken by Khal Drogo rapey, but less pedo-rapey. Amazing how we are only on episode 4, with so much having already happened.
