| Episode cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Peter Dinklage | ... | Tyrion Lannister | |
| Lena Headey | ... | Cersei Lannister | |
| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | ... | Jaime Lannister | |
| Michelle Fairley | ... | Catelyn Stark | |
| Emilia Clarke | ... | Daenerys Targaryen | |
| Aidan Gillen | ... | Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish | |
| Iain Glen | ... | Jorah Mormont | |
| Kit Harington | ... | Jon Snow | |
| Charles Dance | ... | Tywin Lannister | |
| Isaac Hempstead Wright | ... | Bran Stark | |
| Richard Madden | ... | Robb Stark | |
| Sophie Turner | ... | Sansa Stark | |
| Maisie Williams | ... | Arya Stark | |
| Alfie Allen | ... | Theon Greyjoy | |
| John Bradley | ... | Samwell Tarly | |
With the battle won, King Joffrey names his grandfather, Tywin Lannister, as the Hand of the King. It has an immediate impact on Tyrion, who awakens in new and much smaller quarters wounded from the battle . Petyr Baelish is rewarded for his loyalty. The King takes an interest in Lady Margaery Tyrell and decides to marry her. Lord Varys recruits a new spy. Arya has managed to escape from Harrenhal with Jaqen H'ghar's help. He shows her something of himself. Theon and his men are surrounded at Winterfell and are forced to abandon their position. They don't leave much behind. North of the wall, Jon impresses his captor in a fight with one of his own. King Robb and Talisa are married despite the promise he had previously made. Brienne and Jaime Lannister continue their journey but not without difficulty. In Qarth, Daenerys enters the House of the Undying to retrieve her dragons. Written by garykmcd
What a masterful bit of writing. I am in awe of writers who can keep such a ship afloat. What do they do? First, they develop fascinating, multi-dimensional characters. Next, with all the different kingdoms somehow engaged, they create a balancing act that is believable and carefully crafted within the world Martin gave to us. Thirdly, the dialogue is excellently crafted, with wit on the one hand and mayhem on the other. We have the beauty of a series where the bad guys often get away with things, where retribution doesn't always work. Where people die, even though they seem to be principles in the show. I cannot wait to see how things play out in Season 3.