The Gift (episode)


 * For the region of land immediately south of the Wall, see "The Gift".

"The Gift" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. It is the forty-seventh episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 24, 2015. It was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik.

At the Wall
Jon departs for Hardhome with Tormund and a group of rangers, after speaking with Ser Alliser Thorne and Sam. Before they leave, Sam gives Jon some of his dragonglass weapons, reminding him of their use against the White Walkers. Afterward, Sam and Gilly visit Maester Aemon, who is bedridden and dying from old age. Gilly brings her baby Little Sam for him to hold and cheer him up a little. Aemon happily notes that her son has a laugh just like his little brother Egg (King Aegon V) had when he was a baby. In a moment of clarity, Aemon gravely warns Gilly that she and her son must leave the Wall while they still can, before winter comes (and the White Walkers with it). Aemon's condition steadily deteriorates during the night, and he fades in and out of consciousness. Near the end he wakes up delirious from a dream, still lost in memory from his youth: he calls out to his brother Egg, and says that he had a strange dream that he was an old man. Aemon passes away soon afterwards. In the courtyard of Castle Black, Sam eulogizes Aemon before lighting his funeral pyre, declaring for all to hear that he was the blood of the dragon - "but now his watch is ended." Ser Alliser whispers that Sam's friends are abandoning him one by one. Afterward, Gilly is attacked in the dining hall by two brothers, but Sam and Jon's direwolf, Ghost, come to her rescue. Sam is badly beaten, and Gilly tends to his injuries. Still in grief at Aemon's death and impressed by Sam defending her, Gilly climbs on top of him and they have sex.

In the North
At Winterfell, Reek brings food to Sansa. She begs him for help, telling him how she has been locked in her bedchamber since her wedding and is visited by Ramsay every night and he forces himself on her. Reek simply tells her to obey Ramsay or else he would do worse things to her. Sansa asks what Ramsay did to Reek to break him to such an extent, but he can't bring himself to tell her. He tries to leave but Sansa grabs and reminds him that he betrayed her family, making Reek apologize profusely. Sansa informs him that her family still has allies in the North and tells him to light a candle at the top of the Broken Tower which will signal them that she is in danger. When Reek refuses to do it, Sansa reminds him of his true name, Theon Greyjoy, and makes him promise that he'll help her. Reek hesitantly agrees. He trudges through the snow with the candle, up a flight of stairs and into Ramsay’s room.

Later, Sansa is taken to see Ramsay on the ramparts, which are still under construction. While he is distracted, Sansa grabs a workman's tool lying on a nearby barrel and pockets it. Ramsay speaks of his thoughts on how they will easily defeat Stannis's army since their soldiers, unlike Stannis's, are trained to fight in the snow, and how he'll one day be the Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North.

Sansa reminds him of the unborn baby, who, if a boy, will have a stronger claim on the North since he'll be a true-born. Ramsay tells her that he is Roose Bolton's eldest son, legitimized by the king, who Sansa reminds him is another bastard. Ramsay is obviously angered by Sansa's remarks, but doesn't act on it, simply stating that bastards can rise in the world too, informing her of Jon's appointment as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Ramsay then brings up the reason why he summoned her, and shows her the crucified and partly flayed corpse of the old woman who promised to help Sansa if she lit a candle in the Broken Tower. Ramsay then reveals to Sansa that Reek, who seems miserable to have squashed Sansa's only hope of an escape, came to him and told him everything. Sansa chokes back tears as a gleeful Ramsay orders his men to take her back to her chamber. Meanwhile, Brienne stares intently at Winterfell castle from her room in the inn, waiting for the sign to rescue Sansa.

Stannis's troops make camp during a violent snowstorm. Davos Seaworth meets with Stannis and informs him that forty horses died the previous night and more will die come sunset. The Stormcrows, a sellsword company, have fled in the night. Davos thinks that they should go back to Castle Black and wait out the weather since they do not have enough food, but Stannis stubbornly tells him that they will not retreat to Castle Black because he will not risk being known as "the King who Ran". As winter will soon arrive, they also run the risk of being stuck at Castle Black for years, during which the Boltons will regain their strength. Seeing no other way to convince Stannis otherwise, Davos leaves.

Stannis asks Melisandre if she is sure of their victory at Winterfell. Melisandre assures him, reminding him that he also saw the vision of his victory in the flames, but Stannis is not so sure what he saw anymore. Melisandre reassures him that her visions will come true, but also states that a sacrifice, one with King's blood, must be made in order to ensure their victory, implying that they sacrifice Shireen. Stannis is infuriated by the suggestion and orders her to leave.

In Dorne
Prince Doran has Areo Hotah bring Myrcella to Jaime in the quarters where he is confined, as Jaime is concerned for her safety. Displaying a somewhat more critical mind than her brothers, Myrcella is suspicious about Jaime's "diplomatic mission" to bring her back to King's Landing, to which Jaime only replies that there are "complicated matters" involved. Myrcella flatly refuses to return with him, stating her intent to marry Trystane.

Bronn is singing The Dornishman's Wife in his jail cell, while in the adjoining cell, the Sand Snakes listen with a mix of annoyance (from Obara and Nymeria) and amusement (from Tyene). After he finishes, the two parties trade barbs, and Tyene inquires about Bronn's arm, which she cut with her daggers during their earlier fight, with Bronn brushing it off as "a new scar". The two begin to talk about Tyene's beauty, which Bronn dismisses until she begins to disrobe. Bronn stares intently, and begins to change his mind about her. Tyene once again inquires about his arm, and then his head, at which point Bronn's nose starts bleeding and his vision blurs.

Bronn collapses and tries to play off his sudden illness, but Tyene reveals that her daggers were coated with a slow-acting poison called The Long Farewell, and her attempts to seduce Bronn were to get his heart pumping faster, thereby allowing the poison to act quicker. She points to an ampoule on her necklace, which contains the antidote, but only offers to give it to Bronn on the condition that he agrees that she is the most beautiful woman in the world. Growing weaker, Bronn barely manages to reply affirmatively, and she tosses the ampoule to a relieved Bronn. Tyene smiles smugly at him and remarks that she finds him handsome as well, before re-robing and sitting down next to her mildly amused half-sisters.

In King's Landing
In the Great Sept of Baelor, Lady Olenna meets with the High Sparrow to discuss the imprisonment of her grandchildren, Ser Loras and Queen Margaery. Although they briefly bond over the infirmities of age, she demands that he release them and he declines, stating they will be punished for their crimes. The High Sparrow tells her that the Gods' Laws must be applied to everyone equally. Olenna first tries to bribe him, but learning that he cannot be bought, threatens to end the Tyrell support for the capital by ending shipments of food. Again the High Sparrow is unfazed, remarking that the nobility of Westeros have forgotten they are outnumbered by the common folk and tells Olenna to ponder what happens when the many stop fearing the few. Returning to her palanquin, Olenna receives a letter bearing Petyr Baelish's seal.

Meanwhile, in the Red Keep, King Tommen rails over his inability to help Margaery. He wants to start a war for Margaery, declaring his love for her to a dumbstruck Cersei. To maintain control of the situation, she offers to speak with the High Sparrow for him and advocate for Margaery and Loras's release. Although clearly suspicious, the still-overwhelmed Tommen agrees.

Littlefinger meets with Olenna in his ransacked brothel, where they share a tense conversation. Olenna reminds him of the role they both played in Joffrey's murder, and that, should her House fall, she will have no reason to keep his involvement a secret. Littlefinger explains why he returned to King's Landing - he dared not refuse Cersei's summons, and was obliged to give her information. He tells Olenna that he will give her the same thing he gave Cersei: a handsome young man — implied, in this instance, to be Lancel.

In the Sept's cells, Cersei meets with Margaery and brings her food but Margaery refuses, revealing that she knows her mother-in-law is responsible for having her and Loras imprisoned. Cersei, fearful of being overheard, denies this. Margaery mocks Cersei for her unconvincing lies of trying to save her, going as far as to say that while she knows how to lie and scheme, she doesn't understand innocence and decency, which Margaery suspects is why Tommen loves her, Margaery, and was willing to send Cersei back to Casterly Rock. Cersei, concealing her fury, tells Margaery her trial will soon begin and that her son needs his mother more than ever. Margaery throws the stew at Cersei, and yells at her to get out. Cersei leaves the cell, smiling smugly at Margaery.

On her way out, a still gleeful Cersei meets with the High Sparrow in a chapel that predates the Great Sept. The pair briefly discuss the legal process that Margaery and Loras will face. As the conversation goes on, however, it's clear that the High Sparrow is about to turn the tables on Cersei. When Brother Lancel appears, Cersei realizes what is about to happen, and her triumphant smile begins to crack. The High Sparrow has Cersei taken into custody by a group of Septas who ignore Cersei's threats and lock her in a cell.

In Meereen
Jorah is sold by Malko to Yezzan zo Qaggaz. Before Yezzan leaves, Tyrion convinces him that Jorah and he are a team, and is also bought. In Meereen, Daenerys and Daario discuss her impending marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq. After rejecting his suggestion that she marry him instead, Daario advises her that, on the day the fighting pits are reopened, she should gather all the Great, Wise and Good Masters and kill them. Dany is reluctant to do so, as she believes it will give her the reputation of a butcher, to which Daario replies that "all rulers are either butchers or meat".

Yezzan takes his fighters to Meereen, to test them in the lower pits and seek out those who are worthy to fight in the Great Pit of Daznak. They fight in front of a reluctant Daenerys, as Hizdahr has convinced her that Meereen's ruler occasionally makes the rounds to the lower pits ahead of the main tournament. Jorah enters the Pits early, upon realizing that she is watching and will be repulsed by what she's seeing, and elbows down Yezzan who tried to berate him. Jorah easily defeats the other fighters without killing them, impressing Dany enough to prevent her from leaving. When he reveals his identity, however, her face swiftly twists into a scowl and she orders him taken away. Before the Unsullied can comply, Jorah declares that he brought her a gift, and Tyrion enters the arena and reveals his identity to the astonished Queen.

Appearances

 * Main: The Gift (episode)/Appearances

First

 * Brant
 * Derek
 * Arryk
 * Erryk
 * Yezzan zo Qaggaz
 * Boake
 * Septa Unella
 * Moelle
 * Scolera

Deaths

 * Maester Aemon
 * Old woman

Cast
Starring
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Mother Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen
 * Kit Harington as Lord Commander Jon Snow
 * Aidan Gillen as Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish
 * Natalie Dormer as Queen Margaery Tyrell
 * Stephen Dillane as King Stannis Baratheon
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
 * Carice van Houten as Melisandre
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
 * Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane
 * Hannah Murray as Gilly
 * Dean-Charles Chapman as King Tommen Baratheon
 * Alfie Allen as Reek
 * Sophie Turner as Lady Sansa Stark
 * Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton
 * Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
 * Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn
 * Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
 * with Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont

Guest Starring
 * Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell
 * Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow
 * Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon
 * Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
 * Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
 * DeObia Oparei as Captain Areo Hotah
 * Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan zo Qaggaz
 * Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand
 * Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
 * Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand
 * Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
 * Joel Fry as Hizdahr zo Loraq
 * Nell Tiger Free as Princess Myrcella Baratheon
 * Brenock O'Connor as Olly
 * Eugene Simon as Lancel
 * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Malko
 * Hannah Waddingham as Septa Unella
 * Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck
 * Michael Condron as Bowen Marsh
 * Ian Lloyd Anderson as Derek
 * Jonathan Byrne as Brant
 * Nikola Bace as a Tyrell guard

Uncredited
 * Roman Beguns as a Fighter
 * James Bleakney a Baratheon Soldier
 * Rob de Groot as a Fighter
 * Graeme Peacock as a Volantis Fighter
 * Mark Quigley as a Baratheon Fighter
 * Michael Stuart as a Night's Watch Officer
 * Unknown as Boake

Cast notes

 * 21 of 27 cast members for the fifth season appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Conleth Hill (Varys), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H'ghar) and Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.

In the books

 * See: Differences between books and TV series - Season 5


 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Feast for Crows:
 * Chapter 15, Samwell II: In his illness, Maester Aemon hallucinates he is young again and, confusing Sam for his brother Aegon, he tells him: “Egg, I dreamed that I was old.”
 * Chapter 35, Samwell IV: Aemon dies of old age and Sam eulogizes him as a great man, a maester of the Citadel, chained and sworn, and sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, ever faithful. Sam exalts that no man was wiser, gentler, or kinder, and that he had counseled a dozen Lord Commanders. Finally, Sam recites: "He was the blood of the dragon, but now his fire has gone out. He was Aemon Targaryen. And now his watch is ended." Afterwards, Sam and Gilly have sex for the first time.
 * Chapter 40, The Princess in the Tower: The Sand Snakes remain imprisoned at Doran’s orders.
 * Chapter 41, Alayne III: Sansa is told her brother Jon is the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
 * Chapter 43, Cersei X: Cersei goes to the Great Sept to gloat at Margaery, who she finds barefoot and shivering in a dark little cell. Cersei feigns sympathy and support, yet Margaery abandons all pretenses, confronts Cersei about her part in this and screams at her to get out, calling her a "vile, scheming, evil bitch." Cersei claims she will forgive those words, as Margaery is understandably upset, and walks out. Then, Cersei talks to the High Sparrow, who asks her if she spoke to Margaery, and says the Queen will be tried by the Faith, with seven judges. However, he also reveals a witness against Cersei for the crimes of murder and fornication. She tries to run away but is apprehended by a group of septas, who don't pay heed to her commands, her screams of "I am the queen!" or to her threats, and imprison her instead. Cersei threatens Septa Unella, telling her she will have her killed.
 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
 * Chapter 23, Daenerys IV: Daenerys expects Hizdahr zo Loraq to put a stop to the Sons of the Harpy’s attacks as a condition of their betrothal. In bed after sex, Daario says she should have all the Great Masters of dubious loyalty executed, which horrifies Dany.
 * Chapter 30, Daenerys V: Just as expected, the Harpy attacks stop after Dany's betrothal to Hizdahr.
 * Chapter 37, The Prince of Winterfell: Ramsay's bride begs Reek to help her escape. He refuses.
 * Chapter 38, The Watcher: Prince Doran hosts Cersei’s Kingsguard, who is concerned about Myrcella’s well-being after her assassination attempt. He asks to see her and Doran concedes.
 * Chapter 39, Jon VIII: A wildling envoy is sent North to offer the Free Folk shelter South of the Wall.
 * Chapter 41, The Turncloak: Winter has hit Winterfell. A Bolton muses that, while Stannis is at the mercy of the weather, they are sheltered in the castle. Ramsay keeps his wife locked away in her room, and Theon has seen the bruises on her body. He warns her that Ramsay only hurts people when they make him angry, so she should do as he says.
 * Chapter 42, The King’s Prize: A snowstorm stalls Stannis’ army in its way to Winterfell. The king is advised to perform sacrifices to appease the Lord of Light, and also to make camp until the weather improves instead of marching forward, but he ignores them all.
 * Chapter 43, Daenerys VII: In bed together, Daario expresses his unhappiness at Dany’s betrothal to Hizdahr, and asks Dany to marry him instead. Knowing she can't follow her heart, she denies him.
 * Chapter 46, A Ghost in Winterfell: Reek is let in a plot to rescue Ramsay’s wife, but he is afraid of what Ramsay may do to him and refuses to help.
 * Chapter 47, Tyrion X: Tyrion and Jorah arrive to a slave auction just outside Meereen, where they are sold to a slaver named Yezzan. Then, Tyrion is told that they are to perform at Daznak's Pit.
 * Chapter 49, Jon X: Jon sends Night’s Watch men in ships to Hardhome in order to bring the wildlings south of the Wall, so that they are safe from the White Walkers and don’t become wights.
 * Chapter 57, Tyrion XI: In a Meereenese fighting pit, Tyrion sees Daenerys for the first time.
 * Chapter 69, Jon XIII: Jon plans his rescue mission to Hardhome with Tormund.
 * The sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, remains unpublished, so there are some events brought forward from it that may occur in the story, yet the specific chapters are unknown. This may include Sansa's wedding and her return to Winterfell, both of which are also part of Littlefinger's plan in the books but have not happened yet. The meeting of Tyrion and Daenerys has been confirmed to take place in the sixth book.

Memorable Quotes
Ramsay Bolton: "You should hold on to your candles. The nights are so long now."

Samwell Tarly: "His name was Aemon Targaryen. He came to us from King's Landing. A Maester of the Citadel, chained and sworn, and sworn Brother of the Night's Watch, ever faithful. No man was wiser, or gentler or kinder. At the Wall, a dozen Lord Commanders came and went during his years of service but he was always there to counsel them. He was the blood of the Dragon... but now his fire has gone out. And now his Watch is ended."

Bronn: [Singing] "Brothers, oh Brothers, my days here are done, the Dornishman's taken my life, but what does it matter, for all men must die, and I've tasted the Dornishman's wife, I have, I've tasted the Dornishman's wife!"

Tyrion Lannister: "I am the gift."

Margaery Tyrell: "Lies come easily to you. Everyone knows that, but innocence, decency, concern, you're not very good at those, I'm afraid. Perhaps that's why your son was so eager to cast you aside for me."

Margaery Tyrell: "Get out, you hateful bitch!"

High Sparrow: "Strip away the gold and the ornaments, knock down the statues and the pillars, and this is what remains. Something simple, solid, and true. The Tyrells' finery will be stripped away. Their lies knocked down, their true hearts laid bare for all to see. And so it will be for all of us, high and low alike. What will we find when we strip away your finery? A young man came to us not long ago, broken in body and spirit. He had so much to strip away, so much weighing him down. But piece by piece he unburdened himself. Let go of pride, vanity, sin. Now his soul is so light, he will float through the Seven Heavens like a bird. And he has much to say about you." ''[Lancel Lannister, Cersei's cousin and former lover, steps into the room in the uniform of the Faith Militant. Cersei starts to exit, but the door opens and she is blocked by a tall Septa.]''

Cersei Lannister: "Move. Let me go, immediately. You will order her to let me go! I am the Queen! I am the Queen, have you lost your mind?! Let me go!

Cersei Lannister: "Look at my face. It's the last thing you'll see before you die."