Fire and Blood

Fire and Blood is the tenth and final episode of Season 1 of Game of Thrones.

Overview
As tragic news spreads across the Seven Kingdoms, Bran and Rickon share a prophetic dream, Catelyn interrogates Jaime about her sonʼs fall, and Robbʼs destiny is forever changed. After a surprising decision by his father, Tyrion heads south. Arya assumes a new identity in an attempt to escape Kingʼs Landing, and Sansa is terrorized by Joffrey. At the Wall, Jon is forced to choose between the Nightʼs Watch and the family he left behind. Across the sea, Dany pays a terrible price for her love, but finds new hope.

Plot
At the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, Eddard Stark has been executed by beheading. Sansa Stark has fainted. In the crowd, Yoren drags Arya away, making a point of calling her "Boy," and cutting her hair off.

At Winterfell, Bran has another dream of the three-eyed crow. He wakes up and tells Osha about the dream, how it always ends with the bird flying into the crypts under the castle. Osha takes Bran down there, but they are surprised by Shaggydog, Rickon's direwolf. Rickon calls him off, revealing that he had the same dream. Making their way out, they are greeted by Maester Luwin, who has the news of Eddard's death.

At Robb's camp, Catelyn walks the camp and receives the condolences and respects of the northern bannermen. She finds Robb hacking at a tree outside of the camp in anger, and vows that they will "Kill them all."

In King's Landing, Joffrey is holding court. A singer is brought before him, charged with making up a 'funny' song about Robert and Cersei. The singer turns out to be Marillion, who accompanied Catelyn and Tyrion to the Vale of Arryn. Joffrey asks Marillion if he wants to keep his hands or tongue, and Marillion chooses his hands. Joffrey then takes Sansa to see her father's head and cruelly mocks her, even having Ser Meryn Trant beat her when she suggests that Robb might win the war. Unexpectedly, Sandor Clegane offers some kind words to her afterwards.

At Robb's camp, Robb and his bannermen debate what to do. It is suggested they forge an alliance with either Stannis or Renly Baratheon, but the Greatjon becomes irritated by the suggestion. He declares there is only one king worthy of his respect and allegiance and bows before Robb, calling out, "The King in the North!" The other northern bannermen take up the cry.

Catelyn visits the captive Jaime Lannister, who admits to pushing Bran from the tower. He doesn't reveal why, however. He taunts her, saying widowhood suits her and suggesting that the gods aren't real as they don't care about justice. Catelyn strikes him, but Jaime knows that the Starks won't kill him as long as his sister holds Sansa and Arya hostage.

In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister has taken a new lover, her cousin Lancel who was King Robert's squire and gave him the wine that made him too drunk to slay the boar that killed him. She also receives a letter.

At the Lannister camp, Lord Tywin holds a strategy meeting. Both Stannis and Renly have claimed the Iron Throne and the Starks have captured Jaime. The Lannister army is now exposed, so Tywin decides to retreat to Harrenhal, the great castle on the northern shores of Gods Eye, and use it as a base of operations. He orders Tyrion to go to King's Landing and serve as Acting Hand of the King in Tywin's stead, to stop Cersei and Joffrey making more idiotic mistakes like killing Eddard. However, he orders Tyrion to leave his whore behind.

In the wastelands beyond Lhazar, Daenerys wakes up to face terrible news from Ser Jorah Mormont. Her son, Rhaego, is dead. He was stillborn, and a deformed monster besides. The khalasar has also moved on, leaving them behind. However, Drogo lives. Mirri Maz Duur takes Daenerys to see her sun and stars, only to find him a catatonic vegetable. Daenerys demands to know why, and Duur explains that when Daenerys saved her, she'd already been raped three times. Now her 'stallion who mounts the world' can burn no cities and slaughter no innocents.

At the Wall, Jon Snow learns of his father's death. He saddles a horse and prepares to leave, ignoring Samwell's pleas to stay and fulfil his oaths.

In the Lannister camp, Tyrion complains about his father to Shae, then decides to defy Tywin and take Shae to court anyway.

Jon leaves Castle Black, but is pursued. One of his pursuers hits a tree branch and is unhorsed, and Jon realises it was Sam. He turns back to help him. The other riders are Grenn and Pypar. They recite their oath to the Night's Watch and Jon realises they are right. Leaving would make him a deserter and oathbreaker, something his father would never countenance if he were alive. He agrees to return to the castle with them.

Daenerys tends to Drogo, but seeing him like this breaks her heart. She smothers him with a pillow to end his suffering.

In King's Landing, Grand Maester Pycelle takes the prostitute Ros to bed, revealing that he is actually far less frail than he appears. He boasts to Ros of the several great kings he has served.

Yoren has assembled a band of new recruits for the Night's Watch. Pretending that Arya is a boy, he has her join the group. Also in the group are Hot Pie, Lommy Greenhands and Gendry, King Robert's bastard son who worked for Tobho Mott. With Robert dead, secret payments to Mott stopped and he kicked Gendry out. Yoren now has to get them all to the Wall, a thousand leagues away, through the war-torn Riverlands. They set out.

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont is aware of Jon's attempt to desert and dismisses it, saying many have fled the Wall, only to think better of it and return. If they executed everyone who did that, they'd have no men left. Mormont tells Jon that the war between the Lannisters and Starks is less important than what they face now, a renewed threat from the wildlings, White Walkers, and wights. Mormont means to lead the Night's Watch in force into the Haunted Forest to learn more of their foe, prepare for the battles that lie ahead and find the missing Benjen Stark. Jon agrees to commit himself fully to the Night's Watch and all that lies ahead.

In the east, Daenerys and her small retinue prepare a funeral pyre for Drogo. At Daenerys' command, Rakharo places the dragon eggs on the pyre, and Mirri Maz Durr is tied to a stake next to the pyre as well. Refusing to heed Jorah's pleas not to do this, Daenerys sets the pyre alight and then calmly walks into the flames. She stands below the pyre as flames consume her, an apparent act of suicide.

At dawn, the fire dies down and Daenerys is revealed crouching there naked and completely unharmed, with three newly-hatched baby dragons at her side. One nuzzles in her arm, the other by her leg and the third sits on her shoulder. At the sight of the mythical animals born anew, Jorah and the remaining Dothraki kneel and swear their allegiance to the Mother of Dragons. After slowly standing up from the ashes, the black hatchling on Dany's shoulder rises, spreads its wings and screams.

Memorable quotes

 * Jaime Lannister: "If the gods are real, why is the world so unjust?"
 * Catelyn Stark: "Because of men like you."
 * Jaime: "There are no men like me. Only me."


 * Mirri Maz Duur: "Look at your khal and you see what life is worth when everything else is stripped away."


 * Joffrey Baratheon: "I tell you what. I'm gonna give you a present. After I raise my armies, and kill your traitor brother, I'm going to give you his head as well."
 * Sansa Stark: "...or maybe he'll give me yours."


 * Jeor Mormont: "When dead men, and worse, come hunting for us in the night, do you think it matters who sits on the Iron Throne?"
 * Jon Snow: "No."
 * Jeor Mormont: "Good. Because I want you and your wolf with us when we ride out beyond the Wall tomorrow."
 * Jon Snow: "Beyond the Wall?"
 * Jeor Mormont: "I will not sit meekly by and wait for the snows. I mean to find out what's happening. The Night's Watch will ride in force against the wildlings, the White Walkers, and whatever else is out there. And we will find Benjen Stark, alive or dead. I will command them myself. So I will only ask you once, Lord Snow, are you a brother of the Night's Watch, or a bastard boy who wants to play at war?"


 * Daenerys Targaryen: "I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, of the blood of old Valyria. I am the dragon’s daughter, and I swear to you that those who would harm you will die screaming."
 * Mirri Maz Duur: "You will not hear me screaming."
 * Daenerys: "I will. But it is not your screams I want. Only your life."

First Appearances

 * Hot Pie


 * Lommy Greenhands


 * Rorge


 * Biter


 * Jaqen H'ghar


 * Drogon


 * Rhaegal


 * Viserion

Deaths

 * Rhaego Targaryen


 * Khal Drogo


 * Mirri Maz Duur

Starring

 * Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
 * Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldauas Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Princess Daenerys Targaryen
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
 * Aidan Gillen as 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
 * Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
 * Charles Dance as Lord Tywin Lannister
 * Francis Magee as Yoren
 * John Bradley-West as Samwell Tarly
 * Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
 * Emun Elliott as Marillion
 * Sibel Kekilli as Shae
 * Natalia Tena as Osha
 * Esme Bianco as Ros
 * Clive Mantle as Greatjon Umber
 * Wilko Johnson as Ser Ilyn Payne
 * Mark Stanley as Grenn
 * Josef Altin as Pypar
 * Mia Soteriou as Mirri Maz Duur
 * Amrita Acharia as Irri
 * Elyes Gabel as Rakharo
 * Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister
 * Kristian Nairn as Hodor
 * Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister
 * Joe Dempsie as Gendry
 * Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie
 * Eros Vlahos as Lommy Greenhands
 * Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark
 * Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant
 * Steven Blount
 * Gerry O'Brien as Lord Jonos Bracken
 * Vincent McCabe as Lord Rickard Karstark
 * B.J. Hogg
 * Faolan Morgan