Game of Thrones Episode 5.01 Recap: The Wars to Come
On her way to mourn her father, Cersei flashes back to childhood, when she and a friend sneak through the swamp to find a fortune teller. The witch promises that she will marry the king, and she will be queen – for a time. She and the king will not have children; the king will have 20 and she will have three. Child Cersei doesn’t understand this, but she understands the witch’s next proclamation: “Gold will be their crowns; gold, their shrouds.” Cersei visits her father, laying in state, with Jamie standing guard. He is worried that the people are going to try to take their fortune and land away, but Cersei is more concerned with justice for her father. But at least Tyrion killed their father on purpose; Jamie killed him by mistake, for freeing Tyrion. Cersei does not seem like she will forgive her brother anytime soon. At the “wake,” cousin Lancel appears to offer his condolences. He is dressed in rags and is barefoot. His father apologizes for his appearance: he is a Sparrow, a group of fanatics. Later, Lancel finds Cersei alone, drinking. He wants forgiveness for their “unnatural relations.” Cersei plays dumb, doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Tyrion and Varys end up in Pentos. Tyrion’s only interest is in continuing his favorite hobby: drinking himself to death. Varys spends much of his time in the episode trying to convince Tyrion that, while he doesn’t have a chance at sitting on the Iron Throne, he does have a chance at helping someone else gain the throne: Daenerys. He convinces Tyrion to come along to Meereen to meet her – and promises he can continue drinking himself to death on the way there.
A massive golden idol is torn off a pyramid as Daenerys’ fair rule in Meereen continues. White Rat, an unsullied, goes straight from the idol toppling to the whorehouse, where he pays a girl to hold him while she sings and strokes his hair. His throat is slit suddenly, not by the girl, but by a black-cloaked man in a gold mask. The mask is left behind as a calling card: this is the work of the Sons of the Harpy. Daenerys is not happy about this and insists White Rat be buried with honor in the temple, in hopes of making the Sons angry enough to reveal themselves. Arguments are brought to Daenerys that the fighting pits would reopen. She flat-out refuses, but later that night, in bed, Daario makes a strong case for the pits. He was sold into slavery and fought his first fight at 16. Clearly, he was good at it, and he was set free upon his owner’s death. He points out that everyone is too afraid to speak the truth to her. “Show your strength,” he urges. “You are not the Mother of Unsullied; you are Mother of Dragons.” Fear flashes across Daenerys’ face at the mention of her dragons. No one has seen Drogon in weeks; she can’t control them anymore. “A dragon queen without dragons is not a queen,” Daario reminds her. So late at night, Daenerys goes to visit her two remaining dragons, Rhaegal and Viserion, in the cave that is their home. They are still chained up, and having not seen daylight since they were small, are not very welcoming to their mother. They snap and breathe fire at Daenerys until she runs out of the cave, scared and sad.
Over at the Knight’s Watch, Jon is called to speak with Stannis. He needs more men if he is to take Winterfell, and wants the wildlings to join him. If Mance swears his fealty to Stannis and the wildlings march with him, he will pardon them and give them land and freedom. He wants Jon to convince Mance to agree; Jon is the only one who could stand a chance in convincing him. Jon brings the offer to Mance, and tries to convince him to take the deal. “You spent your life convincing 90 clans to come together. Not for power or glory, but to save them. Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?” Jon begs. Mance refuses. He doesn’t want to die, but it is better than betraying his beliefs. “If you can’t understand why I won’t enlist my people in a foreigner’s war, there is no point in explaining.” Jon thinks he is making a terrible mistake, but there is no changing Mance’s mind. That night, Mance is brought outside, where the people are gathered. Stannis asks him to bend the knee, and Mance refuses. He is tied to the stake, and Melisandra lights the pyre. Mance has a hard time maintaining his composure, and many cannot watch the brutal death – Jon included. He leaves. But suddenly an arrow lands in Mance’s chest, killing him instantly. Jon put him out of his misery.
Also: Sansa and Baelish head west, leaving behind Robin in Royce’s care. Baelish promises they are going to a land so far even Cersei can’t get her hands on her. Brienne, despite having been rejected by Arya and being unable to find Sansa, refuses to give up her promise to Catelyn to protect her daughters. Loras seems to think that, with Tywin Lannister dead, no one can force Cersei to marry him.
Below, you can watch a preview of the second episode of Game of Thrones Season 5. In the episode, titled “The House of Black and White,” Arya arrives in Braavos. Pod and Brienne run into trouble on the road. Cersei fears for her daughter’s safety in Dorne as Ellaria Sand seeks revenge for Oberyn’s death. Stannis tempts Jon.
