The mismatched bride and groom piqued the interest of engineers at OKCupid; the dating website calculated the couple as 80.15 percent compatible, Entertainment Weekly reports. (Shae will be happy to know that this score was not mentioned in the honeymoon suite.) Executive Producer David Benioff explains Tyrion’s feelings on consummating his marriage in this week’s Inside the Episode: “He knows she doesn’t want it... He would hate himself in the morning.” Resolved to wait until Sansa is ready, the groom quotes the Night’s Watch: “And so my watch begins.”

Samwell Tarly lives out his own vows by being a "sword in the darkness." Rolling Stone’s Sean T. Collins notes, the crow is “like a hero out of a storybook.” Relive Sam's big moment below with the storyboard from HBO GO’s Interactive Features.

Sam’s surprise attack mirrored Melisandre’s strategy—to keep Gendry from seeing “the blade.” Actor Joe Dempsie describes the Red priestess’ appeal in an interview with New York Magazine’s Vulture blog. Melisandre is “a very powerful force for Gendry, and hard to resist. It's not power he wants, but answers—and curiosity killed the cat.” In an interview with HBO.com, actress Carice van Houten talks about Melisandre’s resolve, “She genuinely is convinced that this is the way and everyone that doesn’t believe her is just a nuisance.” Cynics like Davos and Arya are “difficult flies.”

Melisandre’s conviction doesn’t stop Stannis from consulting his Hand. Salon’s Willa Paskin was unimpressed by the king’s rationalization to Davos. “His speech is an abuse of the word ‘duty,’ ” Paskin says about Stannis, who is using it as “a justification to do something dishonorable without even thinking about it.” Davos’ advice to spare Gendry’s life embodies Paskin’s definition of duty: “something one who is honorable does whether or not they want to.”

The next Game of Thrones episode airs in two weeks. Until then, catch up with the Viewer’s Guide so you won’t need Lady Olenna to explain the family tree.

HBO: How does Melisandre view her relationship with Stannis?

Carice van Houten:  She’s convinced that he’s the chosen one. She believes he’s going to defeat the “Great Other," so she loves him—but not necessarily in a sexual way. She respects him, but it’s not a romantic relationship. I wouldn’t say either of them are the romantic kind, per se.

Continue to HBO.com for the full interview with Carice van Houten.

The episode, written by George R.R. Martin, balanced action with subtler scenes. In this week’s Inside the Episode, Executive Producer David Benioff discusses how these quiet moments shed light on the characters and their stakes. Robb’s scene with Talisa, Executive Producer D.B. Weiss explains, connects the rebirth of his cause to the future birth of his child.

As Robb reaffirms his mission, so does the khaleesi. Dany’s makes it her duty to liberate the slaves of Yunkai. “The scene in which she meets and rejects the emissary from Yunkai,” Time’s James Poniewozik says, “is spectacular without a single fireball.” Mike Hogan of the Huffington Post is fully behind Dany’s vision: “I frankly find it really exciting to think of her as an avenging angel leading an army of liberated slaves to victory over these inbred families with their castles and crests….” 

In these families, power is wielded less tactfully. King Joffrey summons Tywin, and as Sarah Hughes of The Guardian points out, “the boy king was sort of right in everything he said: he should be learning how to rule; he should be sitting in on council meetings and not having to seek them out; Dany actually is more than a ‘curiosity on the far side of the world.’ ” Yet Joffrey quickly realizes that his grandfather is superior both “emotionally and with regard to intelligence,” actor Jack Gleeson explains in HBO GO’s Interactive Features. The king may wear the crown, but he can’t command his grandfather’s respect.

What are your thoughts on the Lannisters’ struggles? Has Jaime won your respect? Will Bart be visiting your nightmares?

In his interview with HBO.com, Coster-Waldau jokes the bear was a bit of a diva.  

The fight's intricate storyboard will give you a sense of how much teamwork was required. 

What was your reaction to this bear and his maiden fair?

HBO: What attracts Jaime to Brienne? Why does he trust her?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: She lives by a code that Jaime also believes, but he’s become a very cynical person. He’s learned that all these beautiful words like "honor" and "dignity" don’t mean anything in this world. Then he meets someone who says, “Well, I don’t care because that’s how I am. I have to stand up for what I believe is right.” Which is what Brienne does, she reaffirms there’s a place for dignity… I think it reawakens something inside of him. He just knows she can be trusted, it’s instinctual.

Read the full interview with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on HBO.com.

Poor old Jaime, having to fight with only one hand. Don’t worry – those three men taunting him weren’t extras with vicious natures, but rather part of the stunt team.

As for Varys' special delivery, our man in the box required no stunts. The sorcerer was played by a local actor and the crate he arrives in was specially made – as so many of the props are – to a finish of appropriate roughness. One of a few designs, it was eventually chosen for its sturdiness.

On the other end of the scale is the perfect finish and grandeur of the Sept of Baelor. The Sept is actually a little over half a sept; the appearance of a full circle was created using camera angle tricks and VFX. The massive space where the Sept was built in is shared with something unexpected, that you don’t get to see until Episode 306: the huge ice wall that Jon and Ygritte must climb with the wildlings.

The ice wall was built by our amazing construction team and it took six weeks of testing and sampling to find a construction method and materials that worked. This was then tested by stunts for safety, and once filming of the climb began, we had crews working through the night to repair the damage done during the day's shooting.

In Westeros, the Wall and King's Landing are thousands of miles away from each other, but things are a little different in the real world. In Belfast, you’ll find the Wall sandwiched between the Throne Room and parts of the Red Keep, and more specifically Tywin’s new chamber, where Cersei confronts her father.

Jon Snow and Ygritte pledge loyalty to each other in the face of the 700-foot Wall. HBO GO’s Interactive Features take you behind the scenes, where the actors actually scaled a sheet of ice. “It took about a week,” reveals Rose Leslie, the actress behind Ygritte, tells TV Guide. “Being up there with our harnesses with the wind and snow machines at that height was amazing.” The unforgiving elements made the lovers’ kiss on top of the Wall all the more tender and romantic. Alan Sepinwall of Hitfix.com says of the scene: “Lovers from different worlds coming together despite their differences is a story as old as there have been stories, but that sequence atop the ice really gave new life to the old cliché.”

In King’s Landing, Tywin Lannister and Lady Olenna used words as weapons in their battle for political control. In this week's Inside the Episode, Executive Producer D.B. Weiss explains he finds the verbal sparring between equally matched opponents as exciting as a great swordfight. The Atlantic’s Christopher Orr breaks down Tywin’s strategy: “His threat to disinherit the Tyrells' beloved Loras by giving him what is (ostensibly) a great honor is made all the more acute by the fact that (as close observers may remember) this is exactly what King Aerys did to him when he made Jaime a White Cloak.”

Check out the Viewer’s Guide to see how the marriage will unite the Tyrells and the Lannisters, and brush up on your history. Westeros was a popular topic this week; students of the realm were part of a 'Saturday Night Live' skit, "Game of 'Game of Thrones,' " a sketch that included an appearance by the Kingslayer himself, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.   

The boldest strategy this week came from Littlefinger, who handed over Ros to Joffrey to assert his clout over Varys—and to recoup his investment. In HBO GO’s Interactive Features George R.R. Martin explains that Lord Baelish “thrives on chaos because in chaos there is opportunity for advancement.” Rolling Stone’s Sean T. Collins attributes Littlefinger’s ascent to being “able to see the swirling chaos of government as a ladder to be climbed rather than a whirlpool to drown in.” Yet as actress Esme Bianco attests in an interview with HBO.com, the higher you climb, the further you can fall.

What do you think about Littlefinger’s power plays? And Ros’ untimely demise?

Ros managed to gain the confidence of both Varys and Littlefinger. What is about her that made them trust her?

Everyone thinks she has lower expectations. I think people underestimate her because she's not someone who's trying to marry the king or steal the throne. She's on a different level. But she is so clever at being a woman. She knows how to use her feminine wiles to gain trust, so people have that confidence in her, but they're underestimating how ambitious she is.

Continue to HBO.com to read the full interview with Esmé Bianco.

First, there are those who betrayed their oaths. Weary of his "Kingslayer" nickname, Jaime Lannister reveals the whole story to Brienne. In an interview with HBO.com, Executive Story Editor and episode writer Bryan Cogman explains the significance of Jaime’s confession: It’s “the first time he's told ANYONE what really happened during the sack of King's Landing—that includes Tyrion and Cersei.” Gwendoline Christie, who plays Brienne, shares how Jaime’s revelation resonates with her character in HBO GO’s Interactive Features. Now that Brienne sees the honor in Jaime, she considers them “kindred spirits.”

King in the North Robb Stark has found a confidante in Talisa but their union meant breaking a promise the Starks made to Walder Frey. Executive Producer David Benioff calls Robb’s marriage his biggest strategic mistake in this week’s Inside the Episode. The King in the Narrow Sea fares no better; Stannis Baratheon’s broken marriage vows only resulted in guilt.

In Tywin Lannister's opinion, family and strategy are entwined. Case in point, he uses Tyrion and Cersei as pawns to secure the Lannisters’ hold on the Iron Throne. James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly points out, “as much of an emotionally abusive father Tywin Lannister is, if he ran a corporation, who wouldn't want to invest?”

For the Brotherhood Without Banners, questions of duty and morality are decided by the Lord of Light—including the Hound’s fate. For a behind-the-scenes look at his fiery trial by combat, check out the video below, which was featured in HBO GO’s Interactive Features:

Arya’s reactions to the trial struck a chord with viewers. Her scenes where the “most powerful of all,” according to Rolling Stone’s Sean T. Collins. “Every line seemed like a cruise missile aimed at your heart.” That includes Arya’s discussion with Beric Dondarrion. Time’s James Poniewozik sums it up: “Who would have thought that ‘Could you bring back a man without a head?’ could be such a touching line?”

"Valar dohaeris" is traditionally the reply to "Valar morghulis," which means “all men must die,” but as Lord Beric’s scars prove, things are seldom so black and white in 'Game of Thrones.' Who did you find most and least honorable in this episode? Share your thoughts below. 

Photo: Riley Stearns

How did you come to tackle Episode 305? Are there any benefits or drawbacks to writing the midseason episode?

Well, the benefit was certainly that, at this point in the season, the storylines are really cooking and I had several juicy scenes to play with. And, of course, it’s 'Game of Thrones,' so we’re still introducing new characters (Selyse & Shireen Baratheon) so it had a little bit of everything. I suppose the biggest challenge was that I was writing it without having the benefit of seeing 303 or 304 (I think I had seen drafts of 301 and 302) so it’s kind of difficult building on arcs that haven’t been written yet, but we even all that out in the revision process.

Continue to HBO.com to read the full interview with Bryan Cogman.