'Game of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3: 'Walk of Punishment' Recap

“Game of Thrones”, season 3, episode 3, “Walk of Punishment”

In Riverrun, Robb Stark sends his dead grandfather, Hoster Tully, into the river on a funeral boat as Catelyn watches over. After several failed attempts by Edmure Tully (Catelyn’s younger brother) to ignite the boat, his uncle Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully shoves him out of the way, tired of the embarrassment, and shoots an arrow himself. The ship is engulfed in flames.

Inside of the castle, Edmure brags to Robb about capturing a mill and chasing away some of the Lannister men, despite doing so out of direct orders from Robb. Brynden reminds Edmure that Robb is their King now, and should show him respect. Robb isn’t happy, because he had a plan and strategy, and Edmure lost over 200 men in the process of ruining everything due to his impatience.

In King’s Landing, Tywin Lannister calls forth his council along with Cersei and Tyrion. They are all understandably confused and uneasy. Tywin asks about Jaime’s whereabouts. No one knows. Tywin names Tyrion as the Master of Coin, since Littlefinger will be leaving King’s Landing to marry Lysa Arryn. Tyrion is not amused.

Meanwhile, Brienne and Jaime are being led by their captors back north towards Harrenhal. Jaime tries to warn Brienne that, as Roose Bolton’s prisoner, she will likely be raped once they set up camp, and if she tries to fight back, they will kill her.

Elsewhere, Arya isn’t happy with Gendry and how he’s helping Thoros, who she believes took them prisoner. Thoros says she’s not a prisoner, but she’s also not allowed to go off alone, since it’s not safe for a Stark girl to be wandering the woods.

Hot Pie informs Arya and Gendry that he’s staying behind at the inn as a baker. He baked Arya a goodbye pastry in the shape of a wolf, and she and Gendry bid farewell and head off with the Brotherhood Without Banners.

As they ride away, Arya calls back to Hot Pie that the pastry is delicious.

Back in Riverrun, Catelyn and her uncle Brynden share a touching moment, discussing the late Hoster Tully. He tells her that he and her father made peace right before the end. She tells him how she’d always wait for her father to return from the capitol, and how she worries that Bran and Rickon have been doing the same thing, waiting for her to return to Winterfell. But she believes they are dead, and Brynden tells her to stay strong because King Robb believes they are still alive somewhere.

Elsewhere in the castle, Queen Talisa aids an injured Lannister boy who asks if the stories about Robb are true, that he turns into a wolf at night and eats his enemies. She says the stories are all true, but that the Lannister boy doesn’t need to worry because he won’t eat children. Unless it’s a full moon.

North of the Wall, Mance Raydar, Jon Snow, and a small group of Wildlings arrive at the Fist of the First Men, where the Warg foresaw all the “dead crows”. However, they find dismembered horses (from the Night’s Watch) arranged in a spiral pattern. Jon points out that there are no men there, just the horses. Ygritte says that they were supposed to be “crows”, and Mance Rayder tells Jon that all of the Night’s Watch (“crows”) are dead, and have turned into White Walkers. Mance gives his men the order to climb the Wall and invade Castle Black, taking Jon Snow with him. And if he disobeys, to throw him off the Wall.

Meanwhile, the few surviving members of the Night’s Watch arrive at Craster’s Keep, begging for shelter. Craster lets them stay, noting how few “crows” remain. During dinner, Craster tells them that they should be kissing his feet, and they need to keep their eyes off his daughters/wives. Gilly, Samwell’s love from their first encounter, can be heard giving birth in the distance, and he pays her a visit. The baby is a boy, which Samwell knows means it’s about to be sacrificed to the White Walkers in the woods.

In a dungeon somewhere, Theon Greyjoy is woken by a boy sent by his sister. He’s come to rescue him. Theon is too weak to stand and walk, but struggles. The boy leads him to a horse, and telling him to ride east to find his sister waiting for him.

South in Dragonstone, Melissandre is leaving, and Stannis worries that she is abandoning him. She assures him she never will. He’s paranoid that his enemies are laughing at him, like his brother did, and begs Melissandra for another son so it can kill Joffrey or Robb Stark. She says it would kill him, and that he’s weak. She says there’s another way for him to defeat his enemy, and it requires a sacrifice of someone with his blood.

In Astapor across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys gives the slaves chained up on the Walk of Punishment pit. Barristan begs her to leave the town that night and not deal with the Unsullied, Jorah is for buying the Unsullied. Barristan argues that strong armies are only strong because they love their leaders, but the Unsullied would only kill because they are commanded to.

Daenerys meets with Kraznys mo Nakloz and his interpreter Missandei. Daenerys, ignoring both Barristan and Jorah, tells him she wishes to buy all 8,000 of the Unsullied, as well as the boys in training. He asks how she expects to pay for so many (amongst many insults), since her ship and gold can barely afford her 200. She says she has a dragon that she will give him. Jorah and Barristan beg her not to do it. Kraznys wants the biggest dragon in exchange for the army. He agrees. Daenerys also demands that he give her Missandei, his interpreter.

Outside the chambers, Jorah and Barristan try again to tell her she’s making a mistake. She tells them that if they ever talk back to her in front of a stranger again, she will get rid of them. She begins to get to know Missandei, who tells her she owns her now, and that she might get hurt as they go into battle. Missandei simply says Valar Morghulis, “all men must die”. Daenerys points out that they are not men.

In Kingslanding, Tyrion visits Littlefinger to pick up the bank ledgers. Tyrion asks for advice on his new position from Littlefinger, and he says to keep a low profile. And that they’re only numbers on paper.

Outside Littlefinger’s chambers, Tyrion decides to pay back Podrick for saving his life by paying for three whores to take his virginity. Podrick is left speechless. Ser Bronn tells him to pace himself.

In Tyrion’s chambers, he goes over the books, realizing that Littlefinger has been borrowing money from the Bank of Brothers, and is so in debt, there’s no hope of paying it off. Tyrion worries that if they don’t pay the debt, the bank will begin funding their enemies. Podrick returns to Tyrion, with his gold in hand, saying the whores wouldn’t take the money. The whores enjoyed Podrick so much that they refused payment from him. Tyrion and Ser Bronn sit him down with some ale and demand copious details.

Elsewhere in the east, Theon Greyjoy is on the run from some archers trying to shoot him down. His captors are able to knock him from his horse and then they threaten to rape him. An archer from the distance takes down all of the men, except for Theon. The boy walks forward, and it’s the same servant boy who saved him from where he was imprisoned. He helps him up and tells him they need to find his sister.

Meanwhile, Locke and his men set up camp with Brienne and Jaime. Just as Jaime predicted, the men take Brienne and plan to rape her. She tries to fight, so they beat her. Jaime speaks up, saying that Brienne is from Tarth, the Sapphire capital of the world, and that her father would pay her weight in sapphires if she’s returned to him unharmed and her honor intact.

Jaime continues using his golden tongue and convinces his captors to unchain him from the tree so he can sleep on his back. They ask if he wants food as well, and he does. They bring him to a table in order to feed him, but Locke sees through his game. His kicks him to the ground, and pins him down, telling him that his daddy can’t always be there to save him. He cuts off Jaime’s sword hand.