Scripting Episode 5

Continuing our ongoing exercise in guestimation as to the content of the GAME OF THRONES scripts. Our rough Season One outline can be found HERE. Episodes 2 – 4 can be found here: Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4. As per the norm, none of these scripts are official. Episode 5 encompasses pages 305 – 384 of A Game of Thrones (U.S. softcover).

EPISODE FIVE

33 scenes; 62 pages

½ of TYRION 4
½ of EDDARD 7
[insert Jaime/Cersei]
½ of EDDARD 7
ARYA 3
½ of TYRION 4
CATELYN 6
EDDARD 8
EDDARD 9

Action is loaded throughout: The second day of jousting at the Hand’s Tourney begins with the Hound unhorsing Jaime, and it ends in violence after Ser Gregor loses to Ser Loras; Gregor kills his horse, tries to kill Loras, then goes toe-to-toe with his brother. Arya escapes castle guards in a mad dash through the Red Keep’s catacombs. A bloody fight on the High Road as mountain clansmen attack Catelyn’s party, and Tyrion, armed and allowed to fight, comes to Catelyn’s defense during the battle. The episode ends with Jaime ambushing Ned in the deserted streets of King’s Landing, killing Ned’s men and shattering his leg.

Introductions: Bronn, Chiggen, Lancel Lannister, Fat Tom, The Blackfish, Lord Nestor Royce, Mya Stone, Maester Colemon, Ser Vardis Egen, Lady Lysa Arryn, Robert Arryn, Baby Barra and her Whore Mom, Wil, Heward (also Lord Hoster Tully and Young Catelyn Tully in a flashback)

Deaths: Ser Gregor’s horse, a handful of mountain clansmen, two Brackens, Chiggen, Wil, Heward, Jory Cassel

Sex: This is freaking HBO! I added a Jaime and Cersei scene.

INT. CROSSROADS INN – COMMON ROOM – NIGHT [2 pages]

Catelyn has Tyrion captured. Many inn patrons call for Tyrion’s death despite the protests of Masha Heddle. “Don’t kill him here!” she pleads. “Don’t kill him anywhere,” Tyrion adds.

EXT. CROSSROADS INN – CONTINUOUS [1 page]

Tyrion is bound, hooded, and tossed onto a horse. Catelyn announces they will take him north to Winterfell. Catelyn, Ser Rodrik, and Ser Willis Wode ride off through the rain with Tyrion in tow, accompanied by three Bracken men, Bronn, Chiggen, and the singer Marillion.

EXT. THE HIGH ROAD – DAWN [1 page]

Tyrion discovers to his dismay that they are not headed north to Winterfell as advertised (“Loudly and often,” Catelyn admits), but rather east to the Eyrie. There is little chance he will be rescued by his family now.

CREDIT SEQUENCE [1 page]

EXT. THE HAND’S TOURNEY CAMP – DAWN [1.5 pages]

Ned and Ser Barristan Selmy talk beside the wagon that holds the body of Ser Hugh of the Vale.

INT. KING ROBERT’S PAVILION – DAWN [3 pages]

King Robert is trying to squeeze into armor with the aid of his squires (one of which is LANCEL LANNISTER). Ned and Ser Barristan attempt to talk Robert out of joining the scheduled melee with seemingly little success.

EXT. THE HAND’S TOURNEY GROUNDS – DAY [4 pages]

The championship jousts continue. Ser Jaime Lannister is unhorsed by the Hound (Sansa says she knew he would win). Ser Loras Tyrell defeats Ser Gregor Clegane, and Gregor, in a fury, kills his horse– and then attempts to kill Ser Loras. The Hound saves Loras and fights with his brother until King Robert’s booming voice brings an end to it.

INT. LANNISTER TOURNEY TENT – DUSK [2.5 pages]

Jaime, nursing bruises from the joust, is visited by Cersei. Cersei complains about the melee, won by Thoros of Myr; it is revealed King Robert did not enter the melee after all. They discuss Tyrion; Jaime misses him while Cersei clearly has no love for their dwarf brother, and her mood grows more sour. Jaime seems more intent on flirting than listening to Cersei complain, and Cersei leaves in an angry huff.

EXT. RIVERSIDE FEAST – NIGHT [2 pages]

King Robert is drinking heavily again, and Cersei’s mood is worse, if possible. Jaime keeps his distance. Arya shows off the bruises she’s gained during her “dancing lessons” to her father; Sansa remarks that she must not be a very good dancer. Ned suggests that maybe having Syrio train her was not a good idea, but Arya will have none of that. Arya brags that tomorrow she gets to catch cats!

INT. TOWER OF THE HAND – SOLAR – NIGHT [half page]

Ned’s brooding is interrupted by the arrival of a cloaked and disguised Varys.

INT. RED KEEP – ROYAL CHAMBERS – NIGHT [half page]

Another cloaked figure slips past an open door; King Robert lies within, passed out and snoring on a bed.

INTERCUT BETWEEN SOLAR AND ROYAL CHAMBERS: [3.5 pages]

Varys reveals an assassination attempt was to have been made on King Robert during the melee.

The cloaked figure outside Robert’s bedchamber is revealed to be Jaime.

Ned voices his disbelief to Varys.

Jaime is already past Robert and down the hall. He enters another bedchamber.

Varys implicates Cersei in the plot against Robert.

Jaime finds Cersei alone in her room. She starts to protest, still angry, but Jaime silences her with a hard kiss.

Varys also reveals to Ned that Jon Arryn was murdered.

Jaime fucks Cersei with his hand clamped over her mouth.

Varys says Jon Arryn was poisoned by his own squire– the conveniently dead Ser Hugh of the Vale.

Cersei is giving as good as she gets. She stifles her own cries with the palm of her hand.

King Robert sleeps the night away.

EXT. RED KEEP – DAY [2 pages]

Arya chases a cat through an alley. She encounters Myrcella and Tommen on a side street, accompanied by a septa and Lannister guards. Arya is so bedraggled no one recognizes her; she is mistaken for a beggar boy and ordered seized. Arya runs.

INT. RED KEEP – CONTINUOUS [half page]

Arya loses herself in a maze of hallways.

INT. RED KEEP – DRAGON-SKULL CELLAR – DAY [4 pages]

Arya hunkers down in the dark, hiding. When her eyes finally adjust, she sees the room is filled with the gigantic skulls of ancient dead dragons. Arya eventually calms her nerves and goes to try to find a way out, but overhears two men talking (Varys and Illyrio, both disguised) and is forced to hide amidst the giant skulls. The two men talk of bastards found, and seem to be plotting a war and other things; Arya hears one say, “If one Hand can die, why not a second?” Eventually they move out of range of her hearing. Only after they are long gone does Arya move again, looking for a way out.

EXT. KING’S LANDING – SEWER DUCT – NIGHT [quarter page]

Arya emerges from the sewer, filthy. She is more than a mile away from the city.

EXT. KING’S LANDING – GATE HOUSE – NIGHT [quarter page]

Arya marches up to the guard and demands to be taken to her father.

INT. TOWER OF THE HAND – SOLAR – NIGHT [3 pages]

Arya is brought before an angry Ned. She babbles about what the two shadowy men were saying but can’t seem to get anything straight, and her father doesn’t seem to believe her. Their talk is interrupted by the entrance of Yoren, newly arrived from the north. Yoren seems to have some dark news to tell, so Arya is ushered out by her father’s guard FAT TOM.

INT. TOWER OF THE HAND – STAIRWELL – CONTINUOUS [1 page]

Arya, still worried, asks Fat Tom if he would ever let anyone kill her father, Fat Tom laughs and assures her he is safe. “Every northerner is worth ten of these southron swords.”

EXT. THE HIGH ROAD – DAY [4 pages]

As Catelyn’s party continues east toward the Eyrie, the captive Tyrion continues to protest his innocence. Tyrion insists Littlefinger lied to Catelyn; he points out Littlefinger also lied about taking Catelyn’s maidenhood. The heated debate is interrupted by an attack of mountain clansmen. Catelyn reluctantly arms Tyrion, and everyone is forced to fight. They win; though two of the Bracken men are killed, as well as Chiggen, and Ser Rodrik is wounded. Tyrion even rescues Catelyn from two looming clansmen.

EXT. THE BLOODY GATE – DAWN [half page]

Catelyn and her bloodied party approach the BLOODY GATE, where they are met by SER BRYNDEN “THE BLACKFISH” TULLY; Catelyn greets her uncle warmly…

FLASH BACK TO:

INT. RIVERRUN – BAILEY – DUSK [2 pages]

A younger Brynden Tully argues with his brother, Catelyn’s father LORD HOSTER TULLY; they fight bitterly as a YOUNG CATELYN TULLY looks on. Brynden refuses his brother’s decree that he should marry; Hoster calls him a “black sheep,” to which Brynden replies that he is a Tully and therefore should be a black fish.

BACK TO PRESENT:

EXT. THE BLOODY GATE – DAWN [half page]

The Blackfish joins the escort. Ser Rodrik is left at the gate so his wounds may be cared for.

EXT. VALE OF ARRYN – DAY [2 pages]

The party progresses down through the mountainous vale, Alyssa’s Tears seen even in the far distance. The Blackfish warns Catelyn about her sister Lysa’s changed ways.

EXT. GATES OF THE MOON – DUSK [2.5 pages]

The party arrives at the GATES OF THE MOON. A long climb up looms before them, though they expect to make the climb in the morning. In the courtyard, LORD NESTOR ROYCE greets them with disheartening news: Lady Lysa has ordered them brought up at once. MYA STONE, King Robert’s firstborn bastard daughter is introduced; Mya cheerfully talks to Catelyn about her love, a squire named Mychal Redfort. Mules are given, and they set off again.

EXT. MOUNTAIN TRAIL – NIGHT [quarter page]

TRAVEL MONTAGE as the party continues up the narrow trail in the dark, led by Mya. WAYCASTLE STONE is passed through, as is WAYCASTLE SNOW. An even steeper climb follows; Mya assists Catelyn past a precipice. WAYCASTLE SKY is arrived as dawn touches the mountain peaks.

INT. WAYCASTLE SKY – DAWN [quarter page]

Catelyn and the others are taken through the waycastle and out the back; they are placed into large baskets with winches to be drawn the rest of the way up to the Eyrie.

EXT. THE EYRIE – ESTABLISHING – DAY [quarter page]

Our first good look at THE EYRIE as Catelyn and her party rise up along the mountain face in the winch baskets.

INT. THE EYRIE – WINCH ROOM – DAY [half page]

Catelyn and her party are greeted by MAESTER COLEMON and SER VARDIS EGEN.

INT. THE EYRIE – LYSA’S ROOMS – DAY [2.5 pages]

LADY LYSA ARRYN warmly greets her sister Catelyn. Only after Ser Vardis and Maester Colemon are dismissed does Lysa reveal her fury at Catelyn for bringing a Lannister to her home. Lysa is clearly imbalanced. Young ROBERT ARRYN enters, distraught; Lysa soothes her son by breastfeeding him. She assures Robert that the Lannister cannot hurt him here. “Make him fly,” little Robert whines. Lysa replies, “Perhaps that is just what we will do.”

INT. RED KEEP – COUNCIL CHAMBER – DAY [4 pages]

Ned argues with King Robert while the Small Council looks on. Robert has discovered that Daenerys is pregnant and wants her killed; Ned argues the morality of the act. It’s a losing cause, and Ned has had enough; he resigns as Hand of the King and leaves.

INT. TOWER OF THE HAND – SOLAR – DAY [2 pages]

Ned enters the solar and notifies Vayon Poole he is no longer the Hand, and to make preparations for a return to Winterfell. Ned is soon visited by Littlefinger, who says he should consider staying at least one more night; Littlefinger has finally located one of the witnesses Ned seeks-– in a brothel.

INT. CHATTAYA’S BROTHEL – NIGHT [1 page]

Ned questions a WHORE, whose baby daughter BARRA is said to belong to King Robert. “She looks so like him, does she not, milord?” the whore asks Ned. “She has his nose, and his hair…” The whore is young and clearly besotted with King Robert.

EXT. CHATTAYA’S BROTHEL – NIGHT [1 page]

Ned exits the brothel with Jory Cassel, as well as WIL and HEWARD-– two other members of his guard. Littlefinger follows, quipping as he goes.

EXT. KING’S LANDING – STREET – NIGHT [5 pages]

Ned and his entourage continue through the empty streets. Ned questions Littlefinger about King Robert’s bastards; Littlefinger recounts a bastard born in Storm’s End, conceived in his brother Stannis’s own wedding bed, as well as twins born in Casterly Rock, though Littlefinger says Cersei had the twins killed.

[QUICK FLASHBACK of Lyanna Stark saying, “He will never keep to one bed. Love is sweet, dearest Ned, but it cannot change a man’s nature.”]

They are met in the street by Jaime, accompanied by twenty Lannister men. Jaime wants Tyrion returned to him; he draws steel and advises Ned to do the same, though he allows Littlefinger to flee. Ned says that if he is killed, Caitlyn will slay Tyrion. Jaime balks, not wanting to chance his brother’s life “on a woman’s honor.” He tells Ned he is free to go … and then tells his men to kill the others. The sudden and furious fight leaves Jory, Wil, and Heward dead. Ned loses consciousness after breaking his leg beneath his fallen horse.

INT. TOWER OF THE HAND – NED’S ROOM – DAY [quarter page]

Ned wakes. His shattered leg is being set by Grand Maester Pycelle. Ned blacks out again.

• Published on 05/30/2010 at 8:26 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/20/2016 at 5:14 PM CDT