The Pointy End

The Pointy End is the eighth episode of Season 1 of Game of Thrones. It is the 8th episode of the series overall.

Overview
In the aftermath of Nedʼs capture, Syrio and Arya face off against Lannister guards, while Cersei manipulates Sansa to her own ends. Robb rallies his fatherʼs northern allies against Tywin Lannister and heads south to war. Tyrion forms an uneasy alliance with the hill tribes and reunites with his father. Jon lashes out at Ser Alliser Thorne and battles a mysterious attacker from beyond the Wall. Dany is forced to reconcile her desire to conquer Westeros with Drogoʼs savagery after the Dothraki raid a peaceful village.

Plot
In King's Landing, Sansa Stark and Septa Mordane hear sounds of fighting. When they are confronted by Lannister guardsmen led by Sandor Clegane, Septa Mordane tells Sansa to leave whilst she confronts them. However, Sandor later finds and takes Sansa into custody.

More Lannister guardsmen, this time led by Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard, interrupt a lesson between Syrio Forel and Arya. Arya refuses to go with them, and when they try to force the issue Syrio disarms and disables all of the lightly-armoured guardsmen with his practice sword. He tells Arya to run as he faces down Trant, noting that for himself, "The First Sword of Braavos does not run." Arya finds her real sword, Needle, and escapes from the Red Keep via the stables. When a stableboy tries to stop her, Arya is forced to kill him.

Varys visits Eddard Stark in his cell in the dungeons. He is incredulous that Eddard trusted Littlefinger over him, and even moreso that he warned Cersei what he was going to do. Eddard says he wanted to extend mercy to Cersei's children, whom Robert would have killed if he'd known the truth. Varys bluntly tells Eddard that his mercy is what killed King Robert, to Eddard's shame. Varys then tells him that Catelyn also no longer holds Tyrion as her prisoner, meaning that the Starks have nothing to barter for Eddard's life with. When Eddard suggests they just kill him, Varys says "Not today, my lord."

Cersei and Grand Maester Pycelle talk to Sansa and convince her to pen a letter to her brother Robb, asking him to bend the knee peacefully to Joffrey. Eddard's fate may depend on what his son and the other Northern lords do, so Sansa agrees to write the letter.

At Castle Black, news arrives of Eddard's arrest and imprisonment. Jon Snow is unable to do anything about it, to his frustration. Alliser Thorne taunts Jon, who threatens him with a knife and is confined to quarters for his trouble. Meanwhile, the bodies of several men from Benjen Stark's patrol have been found, but there is no sign of Benjen himself. Samwell Tarly notes that the bodies do not smell like they've been dead for weeks. Later, at night, one of the bodies animates as a wight and attacks the Lord Commander, but Jon Snow destroys it with fire.

Sansa's letter reaches Winterfell and a disbelieving Robb. Maester Luwin notes the letter is the work of the Queen. Robb refuses to consider the request and sends out ravens, summoning the lords bannermen of the North and their armies to assemble at Winterfell.

At the Eyrie, Catelyn is furious when Lysa refuses to consider summoning the knights of the Vale to war. Despite setting in motion this chain of events with her letter to her sister, Lysa does not believe that war is in the Vale's best interests.

Tyrion and Bronn have reached the western edge of the Vale and are surrounded by members of the hill tribes, led by a fearsome warrior named Shagga. Tyrion does some fast-talking and convinces the hill tribes that House Lannister is an enemy of the Vale and its rulers. He proposes an alliance which will allow the tribes to enact vengeance against the Vale and get them properly armed and armoured for war. They eagerly agree, and escort Tyrion and Bronn westwards towards where the Lannister armies are gathering.

The Dothraki raid a village in Lhazar, a peaceful country to the south-east of Vaes Dothrak. Daenerys Targaryen is disturbed to see the Dothraki killing the villagers and raping their women, and orders it stopped. The Dothraki grow angry at not being able to take the spoils of victory, but Khal Drogo stops the complaints by fighting and killing one of the offended warriors, though he takes a small wound in the process.

In Winterfell, Robb holds a feast for several of his newly-arrived bannermen, but Greatjon Umber gets surly when Robb refuses to let him lead the vanguard. When he threatens to withdraw from the host, Robb sets Grey Wind on him, who bites off two of his fingers. The Greatjon roars with laughter and accepts Robb's commands. Robb says farewell to Bran and Rickon, the latter of whom is convinced they won't see him again.

At the Wall, the two wight bodies have been thoroughly burned. Sam says that he read in a book that the dead can only be animated by the touch of the White Walkers. He hopes the Wall is big enough to hold them back when they come in force.

Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel intercept Robb's army in the Neck as it presses southwards. Catelyn tells Robb that he has no choice but to go to war, but he cannot lose, for the sake of Ned, Sansa and Arya.

Tyrion, Bronn, Shagga and a bunch of the hill tribes arrive at the Lannister encampment, to find Lord Tywin Lannister and his brother, Ser, Kevan, planning to engage the Stark army, which is moving south from the Neck. Tywin accepts Shagga's aid, but Shagga will only fight if Tyrion fights alongside them, a prospect which Tywin welcomes. Tyrion seems less enamoured.

At Robb's camp, Robb and his lords are debating on the route of their march, and on whether to march directly against Tywin's army or against Jaime's army besieging Riverrun. To get to Jaime, they need to cross the Green Fork of the River Trident, and the only crossing is at the Twins, held by the notoriously prickly and easily-offended Lord Walder Frey. A Lannister scout is captured and Robb sends him back to warn Lord Tywin that twenty thousand Northern soldiers are marching against him.

At King's Landing, King Joffrey holds court. Janos Slynt, commander of the City Watch, is to be made Lord of Harrenhal as a reward for his loyal service. Cersei then dismisses Ser Barristan Selmy as head of the Kingsguard, noting that the time has come for an honourable retirement. Selmy is confused, pointing out that Kingsguard serve for life, but Joffrey angrily says that Selmy is too old, and couldn't protect his father. Furious, Selmy takes off his armor and storms out, stating that he could still kill all five of the other Kingsguard present without a problem.

Sansa begs Joffrey for her father's life, claiming that the medicine he was taking for his injured leg was responsible for his treasonous talk. Joffrey says that her soft words have moved him and he will spare Eddard, if bends the knee to him and acknowledges him as king. Sansa says he will.

First appearances

 * Ser Meryn Trant
 * Mirri Maz Duur
 * Mago
 * Lord Greatjon Umber
 * Jafer Flowers
 * Othor
 * Shagga
 * Timett
 * Chella
 * Ser Kevan Lannister

Deaths

 * Syrio Forel (presumed)
 * Septa Mordane (presumed)
 * Mago
 * Jafer Flowers
 * Othor

Starring

 * Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
 * Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Princess Daenerys Targaryen
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Richard Madden as Robb Stark
 * Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
 * Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon
 * Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane
 * and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Guest starring

 * Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo

Co-starring

 * Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin
 * Conleth Hill as Varys
 * Jerome Flynn as Bronn
 * James Cosmo as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont
 * Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
 * Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
 * Charles Dance as Lord Tywin Lannister
 * Ian McElhinney as Lord Commander Barristan Selmy
 * John Bradley-West as Samwell Tarly
 * Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
 * Miltos Yerolemou as Syrio Forel
 * Kate Dickie as Lady Lysa Arryn
 * Dominic Carter as Commander Janos Slynt
 * Natalia Tena as Osha
 * Susan Brown as Septa Mordane
 * Clive Mantle as Greatjon Umber
 * Mark Stanley as Grenn
 * Josef Altin as Pypar
 * Luke McEwan as Rast
 * Mark Lewis Jones as Shagga
 * Mia Soteriou as Mirri Maz Duur
 * Amrita Acharia as Irri
 * Roxanne McKee as Doreah
 * Kristian Nairn as Hodor
 * Elyes Gabel as Rakharo
 * Dar Salim as Qotho
 * Robert Sterne as King's Landing Courtier
 * Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister
 * Lino Facioli as Lord Robin Arryn
 * Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark
 * Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant
 * Simon Stewart
 * Matthew Scurfield
 * Frank O'Sullivan
 * Brian Fortune as Bowen Marsh
 * Chris Gallagher
 * Rick Burn
 * Hugo Culverhouse as stableboy


 * Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel