Walk of Punishment
"Walk of Punishment" is the third episode of the third season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 23rd overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Benioff. It first aired on HBO on April 14, 2013.
"Walk of Punishment"
In the episode, Tyrion Lannister is named Master of Coin, and struggles to pay back the debt his predecessor left the kingdom in; Melisandre departs Dragonstone; Mance Rayder orders Jon Snow to climb the Wall with a group of wildlings; Theon Greyjoy escapes his captors at Winterfell; Arya and Gendry leave Hot Pie behind at the Inn before leaving with the Brotherhood; and Daenerys Targaryen negotiates with a slave master in Astapor to buy an army of soldiers. The title of the episode refers to a road in Astapor where slaves are crucified and displayed as examples to keep other slaves from rebelling. The episode received positive reviews from critics.
The episode received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series at the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Plot[edit]
In King's Landing[edit]
Tywin plans to have Baelish wed Lysa Arryn to deprive Robb of allies, and names Tyrion the new Master of Coin. Discovering that, as treasurer, Baelish borrowed millions in gold from Tywin and tens of millions from the Iron Bank of Braavos, Tyrion fears his father will not forgive the debt and the Iron Bank may fund the Crown's enemies. Tyrion also rewards Podrick with prostitutes, later surprised to learn they refused payment.
At Dragonstone[edit]
As Melisandre prepares to sail for an unknown destination, Stannis begs her to give him another son, but she says he does not have the strength and her magic requires king's blood, which must be acquired from others who share Stannis' blood.
Beyond the Wall[edit]
The wildling army finds decapitated horses arranged in a spiral by the White Walkers, and Rayder tells Jon the fallen Night's Watchmen have become wights. Ordering Tormund to take a party, including Jon, to climb the Wall, Rayder says he will signal them with “the biggest fire the North has ever seen” to attack the Night's Watch. Meanwhile, the remaining Night's Watchmen continue south and take refuge at Craster's Keep, where Sam witnesses Gilly give birth to a boy.
In The North[edit]
Freed by the cleaning boy, Theon rides east to Yara at Deepwood Motte. However, he is overtaken by his captors. Their leader prepares to rape him, but the boy arrives, deftly slaying the soldiers and freeing Theon.
In The Riverlands[edit]
At Riverrun, During Lord Hoster Tully's burial at sea, his son Edmure fails in lighting the pyre and is shamed by his uncle, Brynden "the Blackfish". In conference with Robb, Edmure is chastised for engaging Ser Gregor Clegane. Catelyn discusses her pain with Brynden, and Talisa tends to Tywin's captured nephews, Martyn and Willem Lannister.
Arya confronts the Hound for killing her friend Mycah, but he is taken away. Arya and Gendry bid farewell to Hot Pie, who remains at the inn as payment by the Brotherhood after proving his skill as a cook.
En route to Harrenhal, Jaime convinces Locke that Brienne's father is a rich lord, and Locke stops his men from raping her. Jaime promises that Tywin will reward Locke if Jaime is returned; an offended Locke feigns acceptance, then severs Jaime's sword hand, causing Jaime to scream in horror.
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
The episode's initial airing was seen by 4.7 million viewers, setting a new viewership record for the show. Taking into account the viewers of the later repeat the figures rose to 5.8 million.[11] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.173 million viewers on Sky Atlantic, being the channel's highest-rated broadcast that week.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
The episode was praised by critics; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 21 reviews of the episode and judged 95% of them to be positive with an average score of 8.3 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A bit of well-placed levity perfectly complements the shocking final scenes of 'Walk of Punishment', adding up to hands down the most thrilling episode of the season so far—minus one hand."[13] Matt Fowler, writing for IGN, rated the episode 8.8/10, writing "A shocking chop and a rollicking rock song led us out of a strong Thrones episode."[14] Writing for The A.V. Club, David Sims rated the episode an A−.[15] Also at The A.V. Club, Emily VanDerWerff gave the episode another A−, praising its quickening of narrative pace.[16] Time magazine reviewer James Poniewozik praised the episode, writing "...one thing I love about it – as a fan of fantasy fiction since I was a kid – is that it has a level of ugly realism missing from much of the genre."[17]