Directed By: David Nutter / Written By: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Original Airdate: June 2, 2013

King Robb Stark, his wife Talisa and mother Catelyn arrive at The Twins for the marriage of Edmure Tully to one of Walder Frey's daughters. There is considerable tension between the two families but Robb's sincere apology for not marrying one of Frey's daughters is well received. The festivities continue into the evening as Walder Frey has something very special planned. In the Riverlands, Arya Stark and Sandor Clegane arrive outside the Twins so she can reunite with her family but fate has other plans. In Essos, Daenerys Targaryen orders the attack on Yunkai based on information provided by the mercenary Daario Naharis. Meanwhile, after an incident in the North, Jon Snow is forced to choose between his sworn brothers of the Night’s Watch and his lover Ygritte.

main cast

the wall

North of the Wall, Samwell Tarly, Gilly and her newborn son continue on their march south, after barely escaping their encounter at White Tree with a White Walker, during which Samwell actually managed to kill the creature using a dragonglass dagger. Samwell informs Gilly that they are a considerable distance west from their ultimate destination at Castle Black. He assures Gilly that this isn't a problem and further explains they are close to the Nightfort, the original headquarters of the Night's Watch, which was abandoned centuries ago as the organization's numbers dwindled. He explains that the Nightfort is the perfect castle for them, adding that he plans to get them across the Wall using a secret sally-port which leads right into the Nightfort. Gilly is amazed that Sam knows so much history just from reading books, insisting that he is a wizard, much to Sam's delight. The couple then walk towards the first glance of the Wall, as Gilly is awestruck when she finally catches a glimpse of it. She excitedly informs Samwell that, to her knowledge, no wildling has ever looked upon the Wall and survived.

yunkai

Meanwhile, outside the walls of Yunkai, Daenerys Targaryen and her commanders plan their impending attack on the city. Her newest captain, the mercenary Daario Naharis, suggests a plan using a lightly defended back gate, so a small group can infiltrate the city and open the main gates for the rest of the army to invade. Though Ser Jorah Mormont is skeptical of both the plan and Daario's loyalty, Daenerys is convinced to try it when she asks her Unsullied captain Grey Worm if he trusts Daario. Upon being encouraged to speak his mind, Grey Worm believes that he does trust Daario. Daario then touches her on the hand, flirting for her favor to him. As the captains depart, Ser Barristan Selmy asks to go along, but Ser Jorah reminds him that a Queensguard's place is at the Queen's side, regardless of his pride. That evening, Ser Jorah, Daario and Grey Worm sneak into the city and fight their way through the slave soldiers guarding Yunkai. There are far more soldiers than Daario anticipated, but it seems that the three are evenly matched. A few hours later, an impatient Daenerys paces in her tent, asking Barristan how long a sacking of a city usually takes. Jorah and Grey Worm finally enter, covered in blood but grinning widely: Yunkai is defeated. Daenerys is elated, but asks after Daario, who is still absent. Daario then strides into the room and kneels before the Queen. He presents Yunkai's torn flag and triumphantly informs that the city is hers.

the gift

Meanwhile, Bran Stark and his group have passed far enough North that they have left the Seven Kingdoms proper, and entered into the Gift: a stretch of land south of the Wall which was gifted to the Night's Watch thousands of years ago by Brandon the Builder, from which the Watch draws support for its material needs. Jojen and Meera Reed are puzzled, because the Gift possesses good arable land but the countryside is empty. Bran explains, to Osha's discomfort, that wildling attacks coming over or around the Wall caused most of the smallfolk to flee the Gift over the centuries. Meanwhile, the Watch's diminishing numbers mean they don't really need that much support from the Gift anymore, explaining why they haven't encountered any brothers of the Watch working the lands either. Bran's group takes shelter in an abandoned mill to get out of a thunderstorm. Nearby in the Gift, Jon Snow and the wildling party encounter an old man who lives alone at a small farm where he breeds horses for the Night's Watch. They plan to attack him to steal his horses and gold, but Jon insists that the old man is no threat to them. Orell and Tormund Giantsbane intend to kill the man so as to stop him from alerting the Night's Watch to their presence. However, when the party attacks the farmstead, Jon surreptitiously hits a rock with his sword, alerting the old man who flees; Jon also distracts his lover Ygritte when she tries to shoot the fleeing man with an arrow.

While inside the mill, Bran and Jojen Reed discuss how they plan to cross the Wall, before Meera spots the old horse breeder riding nearby. After the old man is captured by the wildlings, Hodor — scared by the thunder — begins yelling, which threatens to give away their location to the wildlings. Bran uses his warg abilities to enter Hodor's mind and cause him to pass out. Outside, Tormund moves to kill the old man, but Orell tells him to have Jon do it instead to prove his loyalty. Jon is ultimately unable to kill the innocent man, and instead Ygritte kills the man with an arrow. Realizing that Jon is still loyal to the Night's Watch, Tormund orders his men to kill Jon; Tormund restrains Ygritte to stop her trying to help Jon, and soon after Jon battles with Orell. At the urging of Jojen, Bran enters the mind of Summer, his direwolf, to aid Jon. Together Summer and Shaggydog kill two wildlings threatening Jon as he battles to the death with Orell and finally kills him. With the last of his strength Orell wargs into the mind of his pet eagle, which swoops down and attacks Jon, clawing him badly about the face before he beats the bird off. Jon then jumps to mount a nearby horse and escapes, leaving Ygritte and heading back to the Wall.

Later that night, inside the mill, Bran informs Jojen that he was correct about his gift of warging and now has learned through the experience that he can enter into Summer’s mind at any time and control the direwolf’s actions. Bran then informs his younger brother Rickon Stark that under the control of his direwolf he saw their half-brother outside fighting the wildlings. He assures Rickon that Jon safely escaped. Osha then assumes that Jon will be heading to Castle Black and they should as well, but Bran insists again to Osha that he must go beyond the Wall to find the Three-Eyed Raven. However, as Bran wants Rickon to be safe, he instructs Osha to take his brother with her to the Last Hearth, a castle and holdfast of Greatjon Umber, a loyal bannerman of the Starks. Bran remembers meeting Lord Umber at Winterfell when his brother Robb Stark assembled the Northmen following their father Eddard Stark’s arrest in King's Landing. Bran then bids a tearful Rickon farewell, who then leaves with Osha and Shaggydog, while Bran plans on continuing northward with Hodor, Summer and the Reed siblings on his search for the raven.

the RIVERLANDS

In the Riverlands, en route to The Twins, King Robb Stark consults with his mother Catelyn Stark about attacking the seat of House Lannister, Casterly Rock. His mother asks him if he is sure about this plan, as Robb answers “no”. Though Catelyn declares that it is a dangerous move, Robb insists that if Lord Tywin Lannister's castle is taken away from him - the other lords of Westeros will realize that the man is not invincible. Citing the Sack of Winterfell and the disappearance of Bran and Rickon, Robb stresses that he did not follow his mother’s advice once before. He then asks of her council in the matter. Lady Catelyn points out that the plan does require the cooperation of Lord Walder Frey and also informs that in case reinforcements arrive from King's Landing before the castle is taken, the Stark host will be destroyed. Despite this, she silently examines the map, and vengefully tells her son Robb in a harsh voice: "Show them how it feels to lose what they love." Shortly after, King Robb's army arrives at the Twins, the castle seat of House Frey, for his uncle Lord Edmure Tully's wedding. In the main hall, Robb endures  Lord Frey's insults directed towards his actions in marrying Queen Talisa. Robb then makes a public apology to Lord Frey's several daughters and granddaughters for breaking his promise to marry one of them. Tensions rise when Lord Walder then asks the uncomfortable Talisa to step forward in order to have a good look at her, commenting on her youthful body, much to Robb’s anger. Walder then, however, seizes the friction by accepting Robb’s apology and offering the Starks and their men his hospitality during the festivities.

Meanwhile, on their way to the Twins, Arya Stark and Sandor "the Hound" Clegane come across a hog farmer, whose wagon has been damaged. After Sandor firmly tells Arya to remember what happens to children who run away, he then approaches the hog farmer. When Clegane lifts the wagon, the hog farmer begins to repair it, commenting on his urgency to deliver salt pork to the wedding at the Twins. The farmer swiftly fixes his wagon and thanks Sandor for his assistance. However, the Hound then punches the farmer, knocking him unconscious. Sandor then draws a dagger in order to kill the hog farmer, but Arya begs him not to. Though he informs Arya that “dead rats don’t squeak,” he eventually relents and doesn’t kill the man. When the hog farmer begins to wake up, however, Arya knocks him out again with another blow. Sandor then steals the wagon loaded with salt pork in order to disguise themselves and sneak into the wedding.

Some time later, the pair arrive across a river from the Twins and Arya gazes out towards the castle, anticipating a reunion with her family that has been years in the making. Sandor informs Arya that she is visibly afraid that something may happen to ruin her imminent reunion. Arya retorts that she knows what fear looks like when witnessing Sandor confronted with fire, confirming to him that she’s aware of what Sandor's brother Ser Gregor Clegane did to him when they were children. Their bickering continues as Sandor then taunts Arya about the execution of her father Eddard, while Arya declares to Sandor that one day she will stab him through his eye and out the back of his skull. That evening, inside the Twins, an anxious Edmure Tully is introduced to his new bride Roslin Frey as the ceremony then begins. However, during the unveiling he discovers, much to his relief, that she is a beautiful young woman and not like her other siblings at all, commonly deemed unattractive. When Roslin expresses her hopes that she isn’t a disappointment to him, Lord Edmure insists to her that she is “a delight”. The septon then instructs Edmure to cloak Roslin as part of the ceremony, while King Robb looks over at Lord Walder, who returns his glance with a look that translates as: “see what you missed out on.”

The feast that follows the ceremony is a celebratory and lively affair, with all the participants in high spirits as King Robb and Queen Talisa affectionately display their excitement with regards to their recent pregnancy. Edmure himself is quickly besotted with his new bride Roslin and his attentions are focused solely on her. Lady Catelyn’s brother Brynden Tully, having drunk too much wine, eventually excuses himself from the celebration to "find a tree to piss on." As the festivities reach the height of the evening, Lord Walder Frey calls out for the bedding ceremony. King Robb agrees to this, and the bride and groom are carried off to their wedding bed. Roslin herself is carried off by the male guests and is followed closely by Edmure, who is collected by the women of House Frey. Lady Catelyn and Robb’s advisor Lord Roose Bolton discuss the tradition of the bedding ceremony. Meanwhile, Talisa comments on the strange custom, but Robb excuses it as proof of consummation. When stating that pregnancy is alternate evidence, Talisa informs Robb that they will name their child Eddard, after his father, if it ends up being a boy. After the festivities begin to wind down, Lady Catelyn suddenly becomes suspicious when she notices Walder Rivers close the banquet hall doors while the musicians in the gallery begin to play "The Rains of Castamere" - an infamous song that commemorates House Lannister's brutal victory against the rebellious  House Reyne years ago. Walder Frey rises to make a toast to Robb, while a suspicious Catelyn eventually lifts up Roose Bolton’s sleeve to reveal that he is wearing protective chain mail under his clothing. Realizing they are in a trap, Catelyn slaps Roose and screams a warning to Robb, but by then it is too late. Lord Walder signals his men to attack and in what becomes known as the infamous Red Wedding,  Lothar Frey draws a knife and repeatedly stabs the pregnant Talisa in the stomach, killing her unborn child. Before he can react, Robb is shot by multiple crossbows, falling to the floor. Numerous other Stark men are killed or set upon by Frey soldiers. Catelyn is then shot in the back and also falls to the floor. Outside of the castle, Arya and the Hound arrive on the stolen wagon at the Twins in disguise but they are quickly turned away by Frey guards. Arya then gives Sandor the slip and sneaks past the gate guards, only to witness Frey men kill Stark soldiers and Robb’s direwolf Grey Wind. Arya makes a desperate run for the castle, but is stopped by Sandor, who tells her that it is too late. When Arya won't stop, Sandor knocks her unconscious before carrying her out of the castle to safety. Inside the main hall, a wounded Catelyn crawls to safety beneath a table as Walder Frey motions the soldiers to cease their slaughter. Walder mocks Robb as he limps to his dying wife and holds Talisa in his arms as she dies. Catelyn then limps out from her hiding spot to seize Walder’s cowering young wife Joyeuse from under his table. She holds a knife to the girl's throat and threatens to kill her if Walder does not negotiate an end to the attack. Walder refuses her, recalling the betrayed oath that Robb would marry his daughter.  She begs they take her hostage and that Robb, who hovers over Talisa’s blood-drenched corpse, be allowed to leave. He questions why he should agree to such terms to which Catelyn responds by swearing on her honor as both a Tully and a Stark that if he does not let Robb go she will kill his wife. Walder nonchalantly responds, "I'll find another." Robb then stands and utters "mother" as ​Roose Bolton, who had fled the hall when the massacre began, seizes Robb and whispers into his ear: "the Lannisters send their regards." Roose then stabs Robb in the heart, who maintains eye contact with Catelyn as he collapses to the floor. Mad with grief at the death of her son and the King-in-the-North, Lady Catelyn cries out in anguish and kills Lord Walder's wife. Now catatonic with grief, she stands there and accepts her fate, allowing Black Walder to slip up behind her and viciously cut her throat. Catelyn falls to the floor with a thud.

*Episode descriptions from GOT Wiki