Most season finales choose a single cliffhanger ...

"Fire and Blood"

[Spoilers follow as always.]

Summary: As if it wasn't bad enough to see Ned Stark lose his head last week in 'Baelor', now we have to see his family get the news. Jon has a crisis of confidence, and Tyrion gets a long-overdue vote of confidence from Tywin. Since 'Fire and Blood' is the motto of House Targaryen, we have to catch up with Dany - she lost the baby, she lost the Khal - in fact, she lost everything, except for some wedding gifts which she puts to weird but shockingly good use.

So the Stark family gets the news of Lord Ned's death. Everyone reacts as you would expect: Lady Cat, like a lady; Robb, like a warrior; Bran, like a three-eyed raven, and Rickon, like a considerably freaked-out four-year old with a direwolf awesomely named ShaggyDog. Sansa faints, and Arya gets disguised as Arry, an orphan, and is smuggled out of King's Landing by one of the Night's Watch guys who is taking a group of men to the Wall.

Speaking of the Wall, the news about Lord Ned causes Jon Snow to freak out and desert the Wall - but his friends follow him and recite the oath to convince him to stay. Is there a take out there where they end it with 'Green Lantern's Light!?' He decides to stay, and rides out with his brothers to fight the wildlings beyond the Wall. That worked out so well in the pilot, and for Uncle Ben; why not give it a try?

There's a new insane, psychotic, blonde pretender to the Throne! (Viserys, never thought you'd seem normal. OK, you still don't.) Joffrey has Ser Ilyn rip out a singer's tongue in front of the court, while carrying on a pleasant conversation with Sansa, before taking her out to the wall of the castle to view Lord Ned's and her septa's heads. Excellent! She almost pushes him off the edge, and I like Sansa for the first time ever.

Lady Cat confronts Jaime Lannister about Bran. She asks him what happened, and he admits that he pushed the boy out the window. When Cat, stunned, asks why he responds, "I hoped the fall would kill him." Jaime and Tyrion get ALL the best lines.

Tyrion shows some political savvy at the Lannister table, and when his father commends him with, "I always thought you were a stunted fool" he responds, "Well, you were half right!" Tywin sends Tyrion to King's Landing as the Hand; but says that he must leave Shae. Shae is coming anyway.

At the Dothraki camp, Danerys wakes up to find out that her son is dead; and while Khal Drogo lives, he's in a weird comatose state. Most of his people are gone. Mirri Mas Durr, the witch, did all of it on purpose. She knew that the blood magic would kill the baby, and that the Khal would come back wrong. When Dany realizes that she can't bring back Khal Drogo, she smothers him with a pillow. Dany makes a funeral pyre for the Khal, and puts her dragon eggs and Mirri Mas Durr into the pyre as well. I didn't know crazy was catching, but apparently you catch it from your brother, because she walks right into the pyre. (Did anyone else flash back to the Buffy musical? I will walk through the fire, and let it buuuuurn.) The next morning, she emerges from the pyre naked, covered in soot, with three teeny dragons crawling all over her. Fire and blood, baby.

Remember when Game of Thrones started, and there was so much concern with the passivity, and lack of agency of the female characters? I'd say that has shown a fairly dramatic turnaround. Sansa's thinking about regicide, and who could blame her; Dany is the blood of the dragon; Arya is disguised and having medieval roadtrip adventures. Lady Cat is helping Robb be the King in the North. Some pretty serious character arcs for the women here, in what was a hell of a season finale. The Stark family is completely scattered to the winds. Nothing is resolved, everyone is in peril, and wouldn't you know it? Winter is coming. I can't WAIT for Season Two!

See also:

Game of Thrones S1E10 Review

Game of Thrones: Winter is coming

Interview: Gethin Anthony talks Game of Thrones, Minister of Chance

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