This week’s ‘Winter Was Here’ podcast focuses on season one, episode eight, ‘The Pointy End.’
Anyone worth their weight in the ways of Westeros remembers “Baelor,” the penultimate installment of Game of Thrones‘ first season — the one that ends with Ned Stark’s end.
But before Sean Bean’s ill-fated Lord Eddard meets his fate, the overlords of the HBO series unleash unspeakable horrors upon its cast through the events of “The Pointy End,” an underrated installment that sees House Lannister butchering several members of House Stark, Arya (Maisie Williams) forced to kill someone for the very first time, Sansa (Sophie Turner) forced to speak out against her own family, among other assorted atrocities.
In many obvious ways, “The Pointy End” sets up the swift and violent fall for the Warden of the North coming in the next episode. In less obvious ways, it sets up death for several other characters who won’t meet their maker for several episodes still to come.
The list includes:
• Richard Madden as Robb and Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark, who speak together about the brutal fate that lies in wait should they fail in the war against the Lannisters — a fate that absolutely comes to pass once we reach season three’s Red Wedding.
• Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), the orchestrator of that very same murderous event, featured in the scene immediately following Robb and Catelyn’s conversation, sharing his very first meeting of the series with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) — his son, yes, and also the instrument of his own destruction.
• Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) get into an open feud, forecasting both of their demises: Alliser eventually hanged at Jon’s command, but only after he’s able to plunge one of many daggers into the future Lord Commander’s chest.
• James Cosmo’s Lord Commander Mormont nearly dies at the hands of a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch — an undead sworn brother, sure, but a brother all the same. Later on in the series, when Jon isn’t around to save him, Mormont will fall at the hands of one of his fellow brothers in black.
• Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) suffers a chest wound — just a scratch on the surface, but one that will lead to his demise in just two episodes time.
• Even Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) manages to interact with his own future demise, pushing Sansa to write the same letter home to House Stark that will one day serve as the nail in his coffin.
Learn more about those and other topics in this week’s installment of “Winter Was Here,” the Game of Thrones rewatch podcast from Post Show Recaps co-hosts Rob Cesternino (of Survivor and Rob Has a Podcast fame) and THR‘s Westeros guru Josh Wigler (that’s me!), featured in the player below:
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