‘Game of Thrones’ #ForTheThrone Countdown: “The Wolf and the Lion” (S1E5)

Previous Episode: “Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things”

 

Episode: “The Wolf and the Lion” (Season 1, Episode 5)

Original Air Date: May 15, 2011

Written by: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Directed by: Brian Kirk

 

Plot (via HBO)

Ned refuses an order from the King; Tyrion escapes one perilous encounter, only to find himself in another.

 

Best Moment: Ned fights Jaime

It’s not often in Game of Thrones that two characters square off in a swordfight or in battle, but we got one between Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister. While no one was going to die—as Tyrion was held captive, which meant Jaime couldn’t kill Ned, and Ned probably just didn’t think it would be right to kill Jaime in middle of King’s Landing—it was still awesome to see two legends test their skills against each other.

 

Best Quote

“You want to know the horrible truth? I can’t even remember what she looked like. I only know she was the one thing I ever wanted… someone took her away from me, and seven kingdoms couldn’t fill the hole she left behind.” — Robert Baratheon about Lyanna Stark

 

Trivia (via IMDb)

The official words of House Lannister, which Bran failed to remember, are “Hear Me Roar!”. Maybe the reason is that they are mentioned so rarely both in the books and the show. “A Lannister always pays his debts” is their unofficial motto, which is mentioned much more often.

 

Character Deaths

-Kurleket

-Willis Wode

-Jory Cassel

-Heward

-Wyl

 

MVP: Ned Stark

Despite the presence of what was thought to be a bastard son in Jon Snow, the honor of Ned Stark could never be put into question. He showed why when he let it be known that killing Daenerys Targaryen and her unborn baby—based off a rumor from a slave trader “half a world away”—was not right. Ned basically saw Daenerys as a child that happened to be the daughter of the “Mad King” and didn’t think there was a need to kill her across the Narrow Sea. Also, Ned held his own against Jaime in their swordfight to end the episode.

 

#ForTheThrone Moment: Varys trusts Ned Stark

The intentions of Lord Varys can be tough to gauge at times, but he appears to truly want what is best for the people of Westeros, and that includes helping the person that sits on the Iron Throne. After monitoring Ned during the Hand’s time in King’s Landing, the Spider decided he could trust the new Hand and tell him things he “must know,” including that King Robert is a fool that is doomed without him as well as confirming that Jon Arryn was poisoned. Varys knew Joffrey would not be good for the Throne, so he attempted to get Ned to help keep Robert alive and on it.

 

Inside The Episode