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

Original Airdate: May 29, 2011

On the borders of the Riverlands, Lord Tywin Lannister has assembled an army of sixty thousand men, with which he plans to oppose the Starks and punish  Catelyn Stark's capture of his son Tyrion Lannister. In King’s Landing, Eddard Stark confronts Cersei Lannister with the discovery of her children’s true lineage and the rightful claim to the Iron Throne. Tensions run high with the crown at stake as King Robert Baratheon returns from a hunting trip with a fatal wound and makes arrangements for an orderly transition. At Castle Black, Jon Snow takes his Night's Watch vows before a sinister discovery from beyond the Wall. Across the Narrow Sea in Vaes Dothrak, after Daenerys Targaryen’s life is threatened Khal Drogo vows to lead this Dothraki warriors to Westeros.

main cast

THE riverlands

On the borders of the Riverlands, Lord Tywin Lannister has assembled an army of sixty thousand men, with which he plans to oppose the Starks and punish Catelyn Stark's capture of his son Tyrion Lannister. As he stands in his tent skinning a dead stag, he tells his elder son, Ser Jaime Lannister, who rode to camp to join Tywin’s army in the field, that this conflict will decide the fate of their family. He states that they will either forge a dynasty that will last a thousand years or cease to exist, as the Targaryens had done. He orders Jaime to become the man he was meant to be, and to take thirty thousand men and besiege Riverrun, Catelyn's childhood home and the seat of House Tully. Jaime ponders why Tywin would risk so much for the ugly, stunted son that he hates, but to Tywin a Lannister is a Lannister - even though he considers Tyrion the least worthy member of their family, any affront to their family must be punished or it makes them look weak. Tywin adds that if other houses think they can take a Lannister hostage and not suffer for it they will lose respect for the Lannister name.

winterfell

In Winterfell, Theon Greyjoy attempts to bully Osha, the wildling woman arrested during the recent raid and attempted capture of Bran Stark. When Theon enters the chambers where Osha is now working as a servant to Winterfell he informs her that where he comes from they do not show mercy to criminals. He adds that if she was to attack a Lord in the Iron Islands they would have chained her during low tide and watch her slowly drown. Theon then tries to throw his weight around, insisting that she call him "my lord", even though his father still holds the title. Osha, however, is unimpressed with his antics. She points out that he is not entitled to this, as his father is still alive. Maester Luwin enters the room amidst and dismisses Theon, who reminds him that he of all people should know that being a guest and a prisoner are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Luwin then questions Osha about why her band crossed the Wall and were fleeing "as far south as south goes". She claims that the White Walkers have awoken after a millennia asleep and are coming south, to Luwin's skepticism.

the wall

At Castle Black, Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly are standing watch atop the Wall when Benjen Stark’s horse is spotted returning, but, to Jon's horror, there is no sign of his uncle Benjen himself. Following this, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont then names the trainees as men of the Night's Watch, as he holds a scroll in hand which lists their assignments. The Lord Commander reminds the trainees that the men of the Watch live to serve the realm and they need to think carefully before citing their vows, as desertion from the Wall will lawfully condemn them to death. He announces their assignments out in the courtyard, to mixed reactions. Grenn is selected to join the rangers, while Samwell and Pypar are both assigned as stewards. Finally, to Jon’s disgust he is also being sent to the stewards, not the rangers as he and everyone else had expected considering his level of training. Jon is assigned to work directly for the Lord Commander as his personal steward. His attempts to plead his case to Maester Aemon, who has selected Samwell as his own steward, are met with indifference. In private, a frustrated Jon vents his anger in stating the assignment doesn’t make any sense, as he is a better rider and swordsman than any of the new recruits. Samwell, however, suggests to Jon that while this move was possibly orchestrated by an embittered Alliser Thorne in order to punish him, it’s also an opportunity for Jeor to groom Jon directly in order to take over command someday. Both are surprised when Pyp then admits to them that he was actually sent to the Night’s Watch for refusing to provide sexual favors to a noble lord, and not for stealing a wheel of cheese to feed his sister, as he had previously claimed. He reminds Jon and Samwell that nothing about being sent to the Wall is fair.

Convinced, Jon and other worshipers of the Old Gods of the Forest swear their oaths of fealty to the Watch in front of a heart tree that is located just inside the eaves of the Haunted Forest. Samwell decides to take the oath with Jon, as the Seven gods his father Randyll Tarly worshiped have never seemed to answer him favorably. Othell Yarwyck then officially acknowledges Jon and Samwell, stating: “You knelt as boys. Rise now as men of the Night’s Watch.” After they take their oaths, Jon’s direwolf Ghost finds a severed arm in the woods and brings it back to Jon and a horrified Sam.

vaes dothrak

Meanwhile, in Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys Targaryen attempts to convince Khal Drogo about the benefits of an invasion of the Seven Kingdoms, but Drogo is reluctant to cross the Narrow Sea, despite the thousands of ships they could find in the Free Cities to do the job. He insists that the “stallion who mounts the world” has no need for an “iron chair”. Daenerys tells him that the earth does not end at the sea and much lies beyond Essos. Still Drogo remains insistent that a man doesn't need an "iron chair" but only a horse. Daenerys then travels to the marketplace with Ser Jorah Mormont and her handmaidens. She asks Jorah to help convince her husband since the Seven Kingdoms are hers by birthright, but he reminds her that her ancestor Aegon the Conqueror took six of the Seven Kingdoms because he was capable of doing so with dragons. While Daenerys is distracted by the marketplace and wanders off Ser Jorah then receives a message from Lord Varys, a royal pardon for his crimes; he quickly realizes that this news would only come if he was no longer needed as a spy for King Robert Baratheon. Then seeing Daenerys with a wineseller, who is keen for her to try a particular vintage from the Arbor, Jorah realizes that the wine has been poisoned; this is the assassination attempt. Having second thoughts, he steps in and stops Daenerys from drinking it. The wineseller attempts to flee, however, Rakharo brings him down with a bolo tangling his ankles.

That evening, with the wine seller captured, Ser Jorah urges to Daenerys that King Robert will never stop trying to kill her and her future children, as a Targaryen will always be viewed as a threat in both Essos and Westeros alike. Jorah, however, still remains tight-lipped about his own part he’s played in the assassination attempt. Drogo then quickly arrives in the tent and glares at the wineseller. He goes to Daenerys to ensure she is okay, before offering Jorah the reward of any horse he chooses for foiling the assassination. Enraged, Drogo begins to yell in Dothraki  that his army will cross the "poison water" as no khalasar has done before and take the Iron Throne for his son. The next morning, Drogo's khalasar departs from Vaes Dothrak and travels south through the Dothraki Sea, with the wine seller tied naked to the saddle of  Daenerys'  horse, forced to walk until he eventually falls of exhaustion and is dragged to his death.

king’s landing

In the gardens of the Red Keep, Eddard Stark meets with Cersei Lannister. He tells her that he knows the secret that Jon Arryn died for: that Cersei's three children are not Robert's, but the product of incest between her and Jaime. Cersei does not deny the charge and in fact is proud of it, comparing their love to the old Targaryen practice of marrying brother to sister; she also admits to having despised Robert ever since their wedding night, when Robert drunkenly stumbled into Cersei's bed and called her "Lyanna". Eddard angrily tells her to take her children and leave the city immediately. When Robert returns from his hunt, he will tell him the truth of the matter and Cersei should run as far as she can before that happens, lest Robert's wrath find her. Cersei departs with a chilling warning: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." Meanwhile at his brothel, Littlefinger instructs the newly-arrived  Ros and another prostitute on how to please their customers and make them happy. When they ask him to join them, he refuses, saying that he only ever had eyes for one woman. He tells them about his past and how he could never beat those in power by honorable means. When Ros asks him what he wants, he says, "Oh, everything."

In panic, Renly Baratheon finds Eddard and tells him that Robert has been badly mauled by a boar and is not expected to survive. Eddard finds the fatally-wounded King Robert lying in bed and telling Prince Joffrey Baratheon that he wishes he could have been a better father to him. Once alone with the King, Eddard chooses not to tell Robert about his recent discoveries to spare his final hours from any emotional pain. Robert instructs Eddard to make a letter naming him as the Lord Protector of the Realm, to rule until Joffrey comes of age. Eddard, however, does not write Joffrey's name, instead saying "the rightful heir". Robert also asks him to cancel the attempt on Daenerys Targaryen's life. After leaving the chamber and bidding farewell to his closest friend, Eddard talks to Lord Varys and Ser Barristan Selmy. Asking Selmy a seemingly-innocent question about the wine, Varys slyly points out that Lancel Lannister ensured the King kept "refreshed" with alcohol during the hunt, meaning his reactions were slowed and unreliable. Varys also says it is far too late to stop the attempt on Daenerys' life.

Some time later, Renly confronts Eddard and offers him a hundred swords to take soon-to-be King Joffrey into custody, but Eddard refuses to dishonor Robert's last hours with bloodshed. Renly insists that every moment they delay action give Cersei more time to prepare as with the moment of Robert’s death it will be too late for them both. Renly suggests that he himself could make a good king, but Eddard angrily points out that Stannis Baratheon is Renly's older brother and the true heir. Renly asserts that Stannis inspires no love or loyalty, adding that good soldiers do not make for great kings. Later, in his study, Eddard writes a letter laying out his findings to Lord Stannis and instructs a courier to take the message to Dragonstone, Stannis' island fortress. Littlefinger then arrives and talks to Eddard, who tells him the truth about Joffrey's parentage. Littlefinger suggests that they keep quiet, acknowledge Joffrey as king and make him their puppet. If he proves intractable, they can reveal the truth and crown the more malleable Renly instead. Eddard considers this treason. Littlefinger realizes that even though Lord Eddard has Robert's edict naming him Regent and Protector of the Realm, he doesn't have the men he needs to seize control from Cersei. He needs the loyalty of the City Watch. Littlefinger understands that the honorable Eddard Stark can't come right out and ask him to bribe them, but agrees to do what needs to be done.

Later on, Eddard is summoned to the throne room by "King Joffrey", confirming Robert’s death and further Lannister control. Outside he arrives to find Littlefinger and Varys waiting for him, along with Commander Janos Slynt and a detachment of the City Watch. Varys tells him that Renly Baratheon has fled the city, along with Ser Loras Tyrell and a number of retainers. They were last seen heading south. The party then enters the throne room, where Joffrey smugly sits on the Iron Throne. He immediately demands oaths of fealty from his councilors and subjects. However instead, Eddard gives Ser Barristan Selmy the proclamation naming him as Lord Protector of the Realm. To Barristan's shock, Cersei Lannister takes the "paper shield" and tears it up. Instead, she suggests that Eddard bend the knee and swear allegiance and in return he will be allowed to safely return to Winterfell and stay out of their affairs. Eddard responds that Joffrey has no claim to the Iron Throne and commands Slynt to take the Queen and her son into custody. Instead, the City Watch immediately kill Eddard's bodyguards and Littlefinger sneaks up behind Eddard and holds a knife to his throat, saying, "I did warn you not to trust me".

*Episode descriptions from GOT Wiki