Game of Thrones (HBO): Season 2/Episode 3

2.3 What Is Dead May Never Die

Jon Snow and the rest of the Night’s Watch are kicked out of Craster’s settlement. Sam gives Gilly his mother’s memento as a gift, before he leaves. The Greyjoys decide to attack the North while the Starks are away. Theon writes a letter to Robb, but burns it and pledges allegiance to his father. Cat pays Renly and his wife, Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) a visit to seek their alliance. Margaery’s brother, Loras, is Renly’s lover, and she knows it. She tells him that they do not have to play games, and that if they are to win the way, he has to put his baby in her belly. Female warrior Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) wins a battle against Loras, and asks for a place in Renly’s Kingsguard as a reward. Tyrion lures out Cersei’s spy in the council by giving three of them contrasting information about his plans to marry Cersei’s daughter Myrcella (Aimee Richardson) for alliance’s sake. Shae becomes Sansa’s handmaiden. The Lannister guards return to the caravan to capture Gendry. After the ensuing bloodbath, Arya fools them into believing that Gendry is one of the men they viciously killed.

We have more newbies! Jean Grey does not appear in this episode. Instead, Renly and friends do. His wife is here too, and she seems to be another cunning woman. Or maybe she just tells it as it is. It was a bit funny hearing her propose a ménage-a-trois. Perhaps, this is what makes the women of this show so enjoyable to watch. They are placed in a society which has trapped them to conservative roles that limit their movements, but they almost always find a way to go around that and have it their way anyway. Most of the time, they know what to do, and is it not a joy to watch characters who are not mere doormats? In other news, Lily Allen’s Brother betrays the Starks. Wow. The Starks must have done something really bad in the past to deserve all this misfortune. At least they showed that scene where he unleashes his grudges against his father. Well, it looks like Queen Bitch is not the only one with daddy issues. Joffrey Bieber is absent for the second consecutive week.

“Power resides where men believes it resides. It’s a trick; a shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow” – Varys

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