THE KINGSROAD S1 E2
THE KINGSROAD S1 E2
Game of Thrones, The Kingsroad S1 E2 is all about goodbyes and setting up the power players. Jon Snow and Ned Stark will both be leaving Winterfell. Bran is unconscious from his fall in the last episode. Cat decides to leave Winterfell when she discovers that Bran did not fall, he was pushed. A dire wolf must die, and another is sent away. Dany has officially given up her old life and must submit to her new life with the Dothraki.
Keep reading to see a summary of each group throughout the episode, the best quotes, and character reviews.
SUMMARY
DAENERYS TARGARYEN
Daenerys struggles to acclimate to her new people, and husband. Not only is she uncomfortable and unhappy, but she is also powerless.
Khal Drogo and Dany… consummate, again. She seems to be more focused on the flames and dragon eggs than anything else.
A HISTORY OF DRAGONS
Dany is pampered by her lady’s-maids. They discuss dragons – if they exist and their origin story. One lady’s maid catches Dany’s attention. Dany wants her new friend, Missandei, to teach her how to “make the Khal happy”.
They have a deeply intimate moment where Missandei gives Dany tips on how to love a man. It is the first moment where Dany starts to feel a little confident and empowered. She soon shows her new skills of the Dothraki language and bedroom techniques to Khal Drogo, and it seems to work well.
THE LANNISTERS
Still in Winterfell, Tyrion is woken up by his nephew, Joffrey, in the dog pen. Tyrion attempts to give Joffrey advice on how to give his sympathies to the Starks. The Lannisters all have breakfast together and Cersei is disappointed with the news that Bran will live. Tyrion announces that he will travel with the Night’s Watch, to the North.
Joffrey finds Sansa scared and stuck between two imposing men, but he calms her and invites her on a walk. The pair find Arya and her friend playing swordfight with wooden sticks. Arya and Sansa argue, and Joffrey asserts his power over both of them. Arya’s dire wolf comes to rescue her by biting into Joffrey’s arm and she throws his sword into the river.
THE STARKS
Cat hovers over Bran’s body and Cersei comes to visit her. The queen tells Cat the story of how she lost her first child, who looked just like Robert and died of a fever.
Jamie talks to Jon Snow and shakes his hand, telling him how brave he is for joining the Night’s Watch. Jaime seems sarcastic and fake.
GOODBYES
Jon Snow begins his goodbyes by visiting Arya and he gives her a sword. He gives her basic instructions on how to use it, namely, to stick people with the pointy end. He even tells her to name it and she decides on “Needle”. Next, Jon visits Bran and Cat. Even though Bran is sleeping, Jon promises to show Bran around when he comes to visit the Wall. Cat is heartbroken and doesn’t seem to like her husband’s bastard son, so she aggressively tells him to leave.
Ned walks into Bran’s room and sees Cat crying and being rude to Jon. Cat tells Ned that he left 17 years ago and came back with another woman’s son, and now he is leaving again. She is upset with the choice that he is making.
Jon and the eldest stark son, Robb, say their goodbyes.
Since Ned left, Cat is in charge of running Winterfell, but she doesn’t want to leave Bran’s side. Robb steps up and takes over the day-to-day tasks that his father handled.
ASSASSINATION
A fire has started near Winterfell. It is a distraction so an assassin can come in and kill Bran. Luckily, Bran’s dire wolf came to save him and Cat. It is the first real bloody scene in Game of Thrones.
Cat finally leaves Bran’s side and goes into the tower where Bran fell. She finds a yellow strand of hair. Cat tells four trusted people her suspicions – that the Lannisters are involved in Bran being pushed off of the tower and the assassination attempt. She decides to ride for the Capitol to warn her husband.
WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE?
Arya sends her dire wolf away because she knows Joffrey will kill her for biting him. She hides until night when she is found and brought before the King. Sansa is stuck between choosing her sister or Joffrey and the Queen. She claims to have no memory of the event so she can avoid picking a side. Cersei imposes her will on the king, she decides that, since Arya’s wolf cannot be found, then they will execute Sansa’s wolf. Ned steps up and quickly ends the wolf’s life.
Bran wakes up.
NED STARK
Ned gives one last piece of advice to Jon before the group riding to the Wall leaves. He tells Jon that he IS a Stark. Jon wants to know about his mother, but Ned brushes it off and says that they can talk about it the next time they see each other.
Ned and Robert are enjoying a meal outdoors and they bond over the best women that they have been with. The topic of Jon’s mother comes up, making Ned uncomfortable. Robert shares a letter with Ned – it has information about Dani and Khal Drogos’s recent wedding. They discuss a potential war between the groups.
THE NIGHTS WATCH
Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister are headed toward the Wall. They have a few bonding conversations over a fire. Tyrion explains the dynamics of his family and the future of the Lannister’s.
The group arrives at the Wall. It is an imposing fortress that seems to go on in each direction forever.
QUOTES
JON SNOW
FIRST LESSON, STICK THEM WITH THE POINTY END.
NED STARK
YOU MAY NOT HAVE MY NAME, BUT YOU HAVE MY BLOOD.
ROBERT BARATHEON
THERE’S A WAR COMING NED. I DON’T KNOW WHEN, I DON’T KNOW WHO WE’LL BE FIGHTING, BUT ITS COMING.
TYRION
EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH SOME WINE IN THE BELLY.
CATERYN STARK
THERE MUST ALWAYS BE A STARK IN WINTERFELL.
MISSANDEI
LOVE COMES IN AT THE EYES.
CHARACTER REVIEW
Dany struggles to adjust to life with the Dothraki and her new husband, Khal Drogo. She insights the help of a former whore, who is now her lady’s maid, Missandei.
This is the first time that Dany has a self-confidence moment. Up until now, she has seemed small, insecure, and weak. We now get a glimpse of the strong Khaleesi that she will soon turn into.
DAENERYS
This lady knows how to survive. She was sold to a whore-house at 9 years old and trained for three years on how to pleasure a man before being sold for the first time at age 12. Now, she has been bought to serve Dany.
Missandei shows Dany how to please Khal Drogo. She plays the games of seduction, manipulation, and power very well.
MISSANDEI
Jon finally has the opportunity to create a name and life for himself. He steps away from his half-family, where he does not fit in and is not accepted by Cat.
Jon gifts Arya with a sword, which will be very important later in the story. He later has bonding moments with Tyrion, where he begins to see the world from the perspective of someone outside of Winterfell.
JON SNOW
Ned is constantly making tough decisions. In this episode, he agrees to leave his family and home to help his best friend, Robert, as Hand of the King.
Ned struggles with Jon Snow leaving and the topic of his mother coming up multiple times. It’s a conversation that he clearly does not want to have with anyone. He clearly has secrets, and we want to know them all!
Ned is VERY ethical. He takes it upon himself to end the life of Lady, Sansa’s dire wolf, instead of allowing a butcher to do it.
NED STARK
Sansa is infatuated with the idea of Joffrey, so much so that she ignores his horrible personality.
She is caught between her sticking to her family, and the fairy-tale of becoming a princess and Queen with a husband who loves her. Everyone around her tries to warn her, but she is stubborn and in love with the idea of love.
SANSA
Arya is scrappy. There is no other good word to describe her. She fights for what she believes in, even against her own family. She wants to be tough and strong. Her stubbornness and competitive attitude are quickly turning her into a little warrior.
ARYA
Joffrey is… a psychopath. He plays with girls, like Sansa, and has no respect for anyone except his mother, Cersei. Joffrey is weak, but he is also a spoiled brat, which makes him very dangerous. This episode proves that Joffrey is just as much a villain as Cersei and Jamie.
JOFFREY
Cersei seems like a respectful, beautiful, and demure Queen. But, she is a snake. She pulls the strings in the kingdom because Robert is not a real leader. Cersei spoils Joffrey rotten, is sleeping with her brother and manipulates everyone around her. She is also really good at insulting people with kind words.