“Second Sons” Round-Up: Unhappy Couples and Unassuming Heroes

Wedding bells rang in King’s Landing last night as Sansa Stark and Tyrion Lannister tied the knot. “Though Joffrey threatens to rape his ex-fiancée, and seems on the verge of ordering his uncle's death for his insolence before Tywin calms things down,” Alan Sepinwall of HitFix.com observes, “the wedding largely goes off okay.”

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.

“Bear and the Maiden Fair” Round-Up: The Crowned and the Furry

'Game of Thrones' has no shortage of battles (both emotional and literal) but Sunday night marked a series first: a bear fight. Jaime’s rescue of Brienne was as heroic as it was unexpected. “It's pure instinct, and it's really stupid,” actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau tells HBO.com about Jaime's impulsive leap. But "he just can't stand that a woman that has so much dignity should be degraded that way.” Critics were also taken by Bart the Bear II; “Great acting from the bear… I've never seen a live wild animal action sequence like that on TV before,” says Entertainment Weekly’s James Hibberd.

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?

The Making of a Bear Fight

Westerosi tavern-goers know “The Bear and the Maiden Fair,” is a popular drinking song. But the phrase took on a new meaning Sunday night when Jaime Lannister rescued Brienne of Tarth from a bear pit. Wondering how stars Gwendoline Christie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau tangled with a bear and made it out alive? This video takes you behind the scenes.

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?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Doesn't Trust Daenerys Targaryen

This Sunday, the Kingslayer faced one of his fiercest opponents to date—a bear. In an interview with HBO.com, actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau opens up about Jaime’s secrets, his relationship with Brienne of Tarth, and what's so scary about Dany.

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.

Faking, Baking and Quaking: Behind the Scenes of Episode 304, 305 and 306

By Cat Taylor

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.

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