Another great episode.  I honestly thought this one would be a little slower paced (not bad mind you, just slower), but it turned out just as great as the first couple episodes.  Seriously, not sure what HBO has done, but the script for this season has been kicked up a notch.  And the pacing is amazing.

As always, a warning… SPOILERS!  And also clue on WHO DID IT!

Lets start with Sansa escaping and making it to Littlefinger.  This is big… Sansa, an heir to Winterfell, the Starks and the North, is finally free.  At least from the Lannisters.  She has been “saved” from Littlefinger… who masterminded the whole thing; even the neckless she received as a thank you gift from Dontos (which he kills, as he cannot have someone knowing the truth).  More importantly… the necklace.  As he admit it was his, he breaks one of the stones, which easily (dare I say unnaturally easy) break into dust…

Now, as an even bigger spoiler, though it was in the previous episode, so I’m not really ruining anything; just pointing out something you probably missed… Watch the wedding and check out when Lady Olenna speaks to Sansa, who caresses her hair and then touches the neckless (the one Dontos, hence Baelish gave).  The exact next shot, a stone is missing from the neckless.

The idea is, those rocks are fake… they’re the poison.  There is no shot of how it got from Lady Olenna into Joff’s cup, other than right before the King cut the cake, he places his cup at the end of the table, in front of Margaery.  Did grandma pass the stone to her who then put it in Joff’s cup.  The end of the table, where the cup was placed, was also on the side of the next table in which Olenna was sitting… did Lady Olenna lean in at some point and put it in herself?  All we know so far is that Olenna and Littlefinger were definitely part of it.

Tyrion is in prison, and in order to save his squire Pod from any harm (for being with Tyrion), he pretty much fires him. You know he has to do it, but Pod was one of the good ones, especially to Tyrion… it was a pretty sad scene.

Tywin has moved on, and doesn’t even wait for the funeral to end.  He begins talking to Tomen, Joff’s little brother, who is next in line, about how Joff was a bad king, but he can be a good one – so long as he listens to advisors.  As always, Tywin only things of the future of their rule.  He later meets with prince Oberyn (who is having orgies) to offer him a position on the small council, and to be a judge in Tyrion’s trial.  In this way, he believes he can secure peaceful relations with Dorne.  In return?  He will give Oberyn the one thing he wants… a chance to kill the mountain.

Margaery is a little shaken up (considering this is her second king death), but grandma (who is obviously part of the assassination) tells he she will still be queen… the Tyrell’s still need to be wed to the Lannisters for family uniting purposes, and Tomen is next in line.  Guess she’ll have to wait it out to “consummate” it though.

Meanwhile, Jaime, whether grief stricken at the death of his son, or just fed up with Cersei being a b*tch, pretty much forces himself on her.  In front of the dead body of Joff (after everyone else left obviously).  And though she’s saying no, its more because of where they are, as she says “not here”.   In the books, it’s definitely not a rape, so I think, though they make it more forcible, they’re more making it and anger thing instead of anything else.  I do thing it came out looking/feeling a little more “wrong” than they may have intended.  This obviously after trying to emotionally use Jaime and convince him to murder Tyrion, whom she believes to have killed their son.

The Wildlings over the wall, now with the Thenn’s are as dangerous as ever.  They attack a small village and kill everyone, other than a little boy sent to the wall to warn everyone (sadly, knowing that his parent will, as stated, be eaten by the Thenns).

Jon Snow warns the Men of the Nights Watch that the Wildling have what it takes to destroy them… they just don’t know it.  They also learn that the rebel nights-watch-men (the ones that killed Crastor and lord Mormont) have now taken over at Craster’s with all the women and food.  Though they shouldn’t care, they’re afraid that if the Wildling reach them, they will reveal the truth that the Wall isn’t maned by as many soldiers as Snow had them believe (he has said a thousand, when they’re only about 100), and will doom them by doing so.  They may need to be taken out.

Sam knows that Gilly is in danger at the Wall… a girl amongst prior thieves and rapers, not matter the vows, is not a good.  For some reason though, he thinks putting her to work/stay at the neighboring town in a whore-house (though making it a rule that she won’t be used/worked for that) is safer… not sure how that will go.  Oh the things one does for love… by this i mean the obvious that Sam has a crush on Gilly.

Arya and the Hound keep traveling.  She’s getting better at lying, though she still hates his ruthlessness and what a POS he can be.

Stannis is getting impatient, as always, as he needs money to buy mercenaries to have soldiers for a war.  Daavos though, seems to have thought of a way… what will it be?

Finally, Dany.  She reaches Mereen, and her speech is one of the ages.  First off, they send a challenger to face them, one on one.  Daario volunteers, and at least we see the type of character he is in the books.  Confident, and flirty, as he turns to wink at her while the opponent was charging.  He cleverly dismounts the enemy and takes his out.  The it’s Dany’s turn.  She speaks not to the rulers, but to the slaves; about how the slaves behind her, from the cities she conquered, now walk with her, free.  Then she attacks.  But when you think the catapulting weapons are tossing rocks, it actually barrels, aimed to hit walls and shatter, not kill anyone.  And from within the barrels? All the collars and chains from the freed slaves.  And the slaves from within Mereen see, and for the first time get a sense of who the just person is, and what freedom might be like.

That;s it for the week.  I honestly can’t wait for the next episode… this show just keeps getting better.  See you next week!

~mozeus