Game of Thrones Season One Ultimate Unofficial Guide: The Game of Thrones Season 1

himself that we might begin to see some inner turmoil with Jaime.

Episode 8: The Pointy End
    After the cliffhanger of “You Win or You Die,” we return to a scene of Arya at her “dancing” lesson. Little does she know, fighting has broken out around the castle and her father has been arrested. Lannister men interrupt the lesson and the teacher fights the guards so Arya is able to escape. She finds her sword, Needle, in her trunk outside and ends up using it on a boy trying to take her captive. Meanwhile, Ned is visited in the dungeon by Varys and learns that all of his men are dead. Varys also shares the news that Cat no longer holds Tyrion, voiding any leverage Ned may have had for release. When asked what he was thinking when he confronted the queen about her secret, he replies that he was acting out of mercy for her children. Ned still had not realized that even though Robert sat on the throne, he was not the one in control.
    Sansa is coerced into writing a letter to Robb telling him to pledge his alliance to Joffrey in order to save their father. This does not set well with Robb and he calls upon the allegiance of the banners for aid in combating the situation. A dinner is held with all of the banner leaders and we get a glimpse of Robb being a man in charge, commanding respect from those around him. He says his goodbyes to Bran who, unlike youngest brother Rickon, is hopeful of a Stark victory and their father’s return home. Robb leaves that night with his war party.
    Upon leaving The Vale, Cat pleads to her sister for help in the fight and is denied any assistance. She arrives at Robb’s war camp and they discuss the situation. Cat is worried about her daughters because the Targaryen children had been butchered in their sleep on orders from Tywin Lannister after the Mad King Aerys was killed. A spy is discovered at their camp that night and again we see the kind of man Robb has chosen to be. He lets the spy go partly for mercy and mostly for strategy in the fight against the Lannisters.
    In The North at The Wall, the bodies of the missing men are brought back to the castle for examination. Benjen is still missing. News arrives by raven of the events at King’s Landing and of Ned’s arrest for treason. Jon is torn between his new loyalties to The Watch and the desire to help his family save their father. Later that night, Jon’s direwolf alerts him to trouble and Jon saves the commander from being murdered by one of the dead bodies that had come back to life. They realize burning the bodies that have been touched by the White Walkers is the only way to stop the magic and the rest of the bodies are burned.
    Daenerys makes fateful decisions and uses her newfound power to stop the Khal’s actions during the plundering of a village. She upsets the warriors, but Drogo stands behind her actions and is challenged to a fight. He gets injured during the altercation and Daenerys pleads to him to have a healer clean the wound. She insists that the priestess she saved from the warriors tend to him, despite protests from the Khal men.
    On their journey home, Tyrion and Bronn encounter Wildlings in the woods and are saved only by Tyrion’s quick wit and promises of riches and glory. They continue their trek with their newly joined forces in tow. Upon arriving at his father’s war camp, Tyrion introduces the various clan leaders to Tywin and announces their intent to fight for an expected reward.
    Back at King’s Landing Joffrey is busy making appointments to suit his reign. He appoints his grandfather, Tywin Lannister, as his Hand. He then dismisses Ser Barristan as captain of the Kingsguard and replaces him with Jaime. Ser Barristan is offended by this decision but it makes no difference to the Queen. These two decisions were not surprising, as they are meant to publicly and legally give the Lannisters complete control of the realm. The episode closes with Sansa pleading for her father’s life and promising that he will recognize Joffrey as the rightful king.
What We Learn
     Ned actually thought he had the upper hand in confronting Cersei. It is frustrating to watch him carry on with his code of honor without considering what the game players are capable of. He continually fails to realize that he is the only one at the Capital guided by truth.
     Dead bodies can come back to life if touched by the White Walkers. Burning the bodies is the only way to kill the magic.
     Daenerys exercises her power