Episode 10 Recap: Fire and Blood
The last episode of Season 1 of the Game of Thrones, Fire and Blood also happens to be the tenth installment of what is now HBO’s critically acclaimed series. Fans of the series are almost to recognize that the title of Episode 10 is eerily similar to the motto of House Targaryen. In fact, it alludes to the extremity of Episode 9 climatic events.
Following in the footsteps of previous episodes, Fire and Blood weaves through multiple storylines and locations in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Episode 10 begins with a crippled Bran Stark in the North being carried into the Stark family crypt by Osha. Here, they meet the youngest of the Stark brothers, Rickon, together with his direwolf Shaggydog. The two brothers are drawn to the crypts following a shared dream of their father Ned dying. While they are leaving the crypt, Bran meets master Luwin, who informs him about his father’s execution.
Meanwhile, down at the Starks’ army camp in the Riverlands, Catelyn Stark counsels her son Robb, who is aggrieved by his father’s death at the hands of the Lannisters. Robb vows to avenge his father, but his mother reminds him that he has to rescue his sisters Arya and Sansa, held captive by the Lannisters. The death of Ned leaves a vacuum of power, forcing the Starks to seek advice from their followers over whether they should support Renly Baratheon or Stannis both of whom dispute Joffrey Baratheon’s claim to the throne. Lord Greatjon Umber throws a wrench in their plans by mischievously making a case for Northern independence which would make Robb the king.
Arya, with the help of Yoren, begins to move north through the country. Yoren is bringing Arya and other boys to the Wall where she hopes to find and join her family. Meanwhile, Jon hears of Ned’s death on the Wall. He attempts to desert the Night’s Watch but is brought back by his friends.
The Lannisters are not doing too well either. They are confronted with what is perhaps the biggest setback of Season One. They have lost in battle to the Starks. To boot, the Baratheon brothers are beginning to pose a real danger to the Lannisters. They have also lost their best fighter, Jamie, to the Starks. He is still being held captive in their war camp. Tyrion is told to leave behind his companion, Shae, to be the new Hand of the King in King’s Landing. He defies his father and takes Shae with him.
Episode 10 also depicts the bard Marillion at the King’s Landing where he has the terrible choice of losing a finger or his tongue. Before he makes his choice, Joffrey makes it for him, sentencing him to a life without a tongue for composing a humorously vulgar song about King Robert’s death. Joffrey then takes Sansa to the walls of King’s Landing, where he forces her to look at her father’s head on the wall. Sansa stands up to him, saying that her brother will give her Joffrey’s head next. In response, Joffrey orders one of his knights to beat her.
One of the final threads of this story is Daenerys Targaryen’s actions across the Narrow Sea. She wakes up to learn that her unborn son has died as a result of a spell cast by Mirri Maz Duur to save the life of Khal Drogo. However, Khal Drogo is in a catatonic state. It is later revealed that Mirri sought to avenge the wiping out of her village. Daenerys knows that her husband will never live again and smothers him to release him from an in-between state. She vents her frustration and grief on Mirr, ordering her to be set on fire on top of a pyre topped with dragon eggs. Daenerys declares herself the queen of the Khalasar and steps into the fire. By the morning, the Khalasar are surprised to find her unharmed in the ashes with three dragon hatchlings. This inspires awe in the Khalasar, and they bow down to her.