Game of Thrones Power Shift: Arya Names Her Price
The Game of Thrones players better not underestimate Arya.
On Sunday's episode, the youngest Stark daughter proved that even a war prisoner turned cupbearer could make moves in the games. Her quick thinking definitely got her ahead. Who else triumphed? Who crashed and burned? TVGuide.com broke down the power shifts in "The Prince of Winterfell":
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Power Tripping
Arya Stark (Maisie Williams): She wanted to use her last death-wish request on Tywin Lannister, especially after learning that he planned a sneak attack on her brother Robb Stark, but she was too late. Instead, when Jaqen H'ghar presses her for a final name on her to-kill list, she names the assassin himself. When he begs for her to un-name him, she bargains for an escape from Harrenhal (with friend Gendry and Hot Pie) in place of his death. Not bad for a tween!
Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham): The Onion Knight may have lost his fingers for his smuggling ways, but he has earned the respect of Stannis Baratheon, who vows that upon ascending the Iron Throne, he will make Davos his own (short-fingered) Hand of the King.
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright): Turns out that the young Stark and brother Rickon weren't killed by Theon after all. They escaped on the road and then doubled back to hide out in Winterfell's crypts.
Power Failure
Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen): He claims to have killed the young Stark boys as a wartime tactic (though he secretly faked their deaths by killing two other kids), but even his own rutheless, iron-born sister Yarra looks down on the murder. "Which one gave you the tougher fight, the cripple or the 6-year-old?" she asks. Ouch. She also arrives at Winterfell to fetch him home, which does very little to help his credibility as an intimidating conqueror.
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Jon Snow (Kit Harington): The bastard is now a prisoner of the wildlings, courtesy of Ygritte. Somehow, we don't think they'll be as merciful as he was.
Robb Stark (Richard Madden): He's completely undermined as the King in the North when his mom Catelyn takes his most valuable political prisoner, Jaime Lannister, to attempt to trade for her two daughters in King's Landing. It's an act of betrayal that angers his men and weakens their position.
Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage): Dear sister Cersei has sussed out that he has brought his whore with him to the Red Keep, and even though she apprehends the wrong one, Tyrion is shaken. He has put himself in a position of weakness for love and lust, and it's just a matter of time before Shae is discovered.
Power Outage (aka, The Fallen)
Episode 8: The guards at the gate at Harrenhal
Episode 7: Ser Alton Lannister, 12 of Qarth's "Thirteen," Theon's two victims
Episode 6: Ser Rodrik, Ser Amory Lorch, random wildlings, one of Theon's guards, various people in Daenerys' khalasar, handmaiden Irri
Episode 5: Renly, The Tickler
Episode 4: Unknown number of Tywin Lannister and Robb Stark's men, the villagers "questioned" and then tortured by rats
Episode 3: Yoren, Lommy
Episode 2: Rakharo
Episode 1: Daenerys' horse, Maester Cressen, King Robert's bastards
Bonus Episode Highlights
Spot the Whore! Whore count: 2. Ros, the redheaded whore, whom Cersei thinks is Tyrion's lover, and then there's Shae herself.
Hot Pie's Recipe Tips: "You need sour cherries to make it right. The secret is: dry the stones and then break them with a mallet. That's where the real flavor is. You crush them up real fine and then when you're finished, sprinkle them over the pie crust."
What did you think of this week's Game of Thrones?
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