Game of Thrones - Two Swords

Jon Snow recovers from his arrow wounds. But Giantsbane understands that Y’gritte could have easily killed Snow because she hits with her bow wherever she so desires. They meet with another tribe they despise, brought together by Mance, with “crow meat” just ready to cook over an open fire. It is brief, the meeting of the two tribes, but you get that tension immediately. The alliance, uneasy at best, proves that Mance must be quite a convincing leader. Snow goes before a trio tribunal at the Night’s Watch for his “sabbatical” with the wildings, the failure to remain celibate and killing Halfhand. Aemon is there, the blind Targaryen, to usurp his peers on the tribunal, recognizing that with Jon’s knowledge of what Mance and the wildings planned to do to them. Jon committed to their cause, earned Mance’s trust, escaped with his life, and returned to them with all he learned. That has to account for something.

Daenerys has to keep Grey Worm and Daario (cast differently with Michael Huisman who looks nothing like Ed Skrein) on task while they duel over who can hold their sword up in longest without dropping it as she sets her sights on Meereen, seemingly on a quest to free slaves from every city they come in contact. She uses the crucified slaves hanging on crosses as her motivation.

But arriving for the wedding between Joffrey and Margaery is Lannister rivals, Prince Oberyn of the Martells and his lady, Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), don’t exactly address Tyrion with salutations. His sister was a victim to Tywin and The Mountain, a wife to their enemy. He hears the Rains of Castamere sung by Lannister men while at Littlefinger’s brothel, which requires a need to shut them up. Tyrion can tell Oberyn he wasn’t there when awful things happened to his sister but being a Lannister ties him to what his father did and does. Oberyn does tell Tyrion the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts. Oberyn and Ellaria’s sexual appetites are also conveyed to us as they arrived at the brothel, interested in both sexes, wanting ladies (and Olyvar, who tells Oberyn he’s quite expensive) with enthusiasm, not timid and shy. Ten minutes into the episode, The Two Swords, Oberyn is disrobing prostitutes. The show has a way of removing dresses from women.