The Night Lands

"The Night Lands" is the second episode of the second season of Game of Thrones. It is the twelfth episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 8, 2012. It was written by executive producers David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and directed by co-executive producer Alan Taylor.

In the Seven Kingdoms
In the Riverlands, Arya Stark continues to pose as a boy while travelling north with Yoren and his Night's Watch recruits. She is drawn to the caged prisoners when Jaqen H'ghar asks her for water and introduces himself. A pair of Gold Cloaks approach the party and Arya hides, believing that they have come for her. They deliver a warrant for the Royal bastard Gendry but Yoren intimidates them into leaving empty handed. They promise to return with more men.

Arya asks Gendry why he is wanted and he admits that he does not know. He tells her that he was questioned by Lord Jon Arryn and Lord Eddard Stark in the months before he fled King's Landing. He questions why she thought that they had come for her and tells her that he has seen through her disguise. Arya reveals her identity to him and swears him to secrecy.

In King's Landing, Varys discovers Shae living with Tyrion Lannister in the Tower of the Hand and makes implied threats about revealing her presence. Tyrion warns Varys not to underestimate him. Alton Lannister delivers King Robb Stark's peace terms to the small council and Queen Regent Cersei Lannister rejects them. Grand Maester Pycelle relays a message from the Night's Watch requesting manpower and warning of wights. Tyrion is the only one to take the warning seriously.

Ros struggles to continue her work as a prostitute having witnessed the murder of the infant royal bastard Barra. Petyr Baelish threatens her with a tale about selling on an unhappy girl to a depraved customer in order to recoup his investment. He orders her to return happy after a night off.

Tyrion has Lord Janos Slynt for dinner and questions him about the massacre of the royal bastards. Janos freely admits his involvement but will not reveal who ordered the attack. Tyrion has Janos arrested and exiled to the Night's Watch and installs Bronn as Commander of the City Watch in his place. Cersei confronts Tyrion about his actions. He warns that she is losing the support of the people but she claims that she does not care. He concludes that Joffrey ordered the massacre, having initially suspected that it was Cersei. He jokes about her relationship with Jaime and she says that he has always been funny. She ends the discussion with the barb that his finest joke was killing their mother when he was born.

On Dragonstone, Davos recruits the Lysene sellsail Salladhor Saan and his fleet of thirty ships to King Stannis Baratheon's cause. His son Matthos Seaworth encourages him to learn to read so that he can study the holy texts of the Lord of Light but Davos is happy to put his faith solely in Stannis. Melisandre seduces Stannis with the promise of a son.

Theon Greyjoy travels to the Iron Islands on a merchant ship and sleeps with the Captain's daughter. He tells her that he is expecting a warm reception and is crushed when there is no one to meet him when he disembarks in Lordsport. A woman offers him a ride to Pyke and he attempts to seduce her throughout the journey. He is further disappointed when his father Balon questions his loyalty and his memory of his roots having spent nine years as a ward of House Stark. He delivers Robb Stark's letter suggesting an alliance against House Lannister. His guide enters and he is shocked to realize that she is his sister Yara when Balon greets her warmly. Balon rejects the proposal and compares Theon unfavourably to his sister. He insists that he will follow the ironborn tradition of paying the iron price (meaning to take something through force) and says that no-one will give him his crown. When Theon warns his father that he will not defeat the Lannisters, Balon retorts that he has no intention of fighting the Lannisters.

Across the Narrow Sea
Daenerys Targaryen and her khalasar lie exhausted in the heat, their water dwindling as they wait for the return of her bloodriders. Rakharo's horse returns riderless and Ser Jorah Mormont discovers his head and severed braid in its saddle bag. He surmises that Rakharo was caught and killed by a rival khalasar. Irri is devastated by the death and believes the mutilation will prevent Rakharo from entering the night lands, the Dothraki land of the dead. Daenerys promises to hold a funeral for Rakharo.

Beyond the Wall
Samwell Tarly rescues one of Craster's wives, Gilly, from Ghost when he bothers her for food. She confides her desire to flee from the keep because of her fear for what Craster will do if her unborn child is a boy. Sam takes her to Jon and she begs him to take her with the ranging but will not say what she is afraid of. Jon refuses to aid her because of the Lord Commander 's orders not to get involved with Craster's wives.

Jon notices Craster taking a baby into the woods at night. He follows him and sees him leave the child to the White Walkers. Before he can intervene Craster surprises him and knocks him out.

Recap

 * Main: The Night Lands recap

A detailed recap of the episode scene by scene.

Memorable Quotes
Tyrion Lannister: "I don't like threats."

Varys: "Who threatened you?"

​Tyrion Lannister: "I am not Ned Stark, I know the way this game is played."

Varys: "Ned Stark was a man of honor."

Tyrion Lannister: "And I am not, threaten me again and I will have you thrown into the sea."

Varys: "You might be disappointed with the results. The storms come and go, the big fish eat the little fish and I keep on paddling. Come my lord, we shouldn't keep the queen waiting."

Cersei Lannister: "You want to be Hand of the King? You want to rule? This is what ruling is; lying on a bed of weeds, ripping them out by the root, one by one, before they strangle you in your sleep!"

Tyrion Lannister: "I'm no king, but I think there's more to ruling than that." Cersei Lannister : "I don't care what you think! You've never taken it seriously; you haven't, Jaime hasn't! It's all fallen on me."

Tyrion Lannister : "As has Jaime repeatedly, according to Stannis Baratheon." Cersei Lannister : "You're funny. You've always been funny, but none of your jokes will ever match the first one, will they? Do you remember, back when you ripped my mother open on your way out of her and she bled to death?"

Tyrion Lannister : "She was my mother too." Cersei Lannister : "Mother gone, for the sake of you. There's no bigger joke in the world than that."

Appearances

 * Main: The Night Lands/Appearances

First appearances

 * King Balon Greyjoy
 * Princess Yara Greyjoy
 * Salladhor Saan
 * Podrick Payne
 * Jaqen H'ghar (as played by Tom Wlaschiha)
 * Rorge (as played by Andy Beckwith)
 * Biter (as played by Gerard Jordan)

Death

 * Rakharo

Cast
Starring
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
 * Maisie Williams as Princess Arya Stark
 * Stephen Dillane as King Stannis Baratheon
 * Carice van Houten as Melisandre
 * Jerome Flynn as Bronn
 * Conleth Hill as Lord Varys
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
 * Sibel Kekilli as Shae

Guest starring
 * Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
 * Robert Pugh as Craster
 * Patrick Malahide as King Balon Greyjoy
 * Francis Magee as Yoren
 * Dominic Carter as Lord Janos Slynt
 * Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar
 * Joe Dempsie as Gendry
 * Mark Stanley as Grenn
 * Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
 * Roxanne McKee as Doreah
 * Amrita Acharia as Irri
 * Steven Cole as Kovarro (credit only)
 * Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie
 * Eros Vlahos as Lommy Greenhands
 * Esme Bianco as Ros
 * Andy Beckwith as Rorge
 * Gemma Whelan as Princess Yara Greyjoy
 * Kerr Logan as Matthos Seaworth
 * Lucian Msamati as Salladhor Saan
 * Hannah Murray as Gilly
 * Karl Davies as Ser Alton Lannister
 * Amy Dawson as the Captain's daughter
 * Sahara Knite as Armeca
 * Jer O'Leary as Lordsport dockhand
 * Gerard Jordan as Biter
 * Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
 * Ian Whyte as a White Walker
 * Sam Callis as a Goldcloak on the Kingsroad
 * Derek Reid as Ros's dissatisfied customer
 * Josephine Gillan as Marei
 * Dennis Stokes as a male prostitute

Uncredited
 * Dennis McKeever as Othell Yarwyck

Cast notes

 * Only 15 of the 25 starring cast members for the second season appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members James Cosmo (Jeor Mormont), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark), Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark), Richard Madden (Robb Stark), Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane), and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
 * Alfie Allen is credited ahead of Maisie Williams when he was credited after her in "The North Remembers".
 * John Bradley is credited after Stephen Dillane, Carice Van Houten, Jerome Flynn and Conleth Hill when he was credited before them in "The North Remembers".