Episode 1x02: Foreshadowing & Symbolism
Jul 22, 2016 14:54:28 GMT -5
King Tyrion I, khaella, and 2 more like this
Post by Envie on Jul 22, 2016 14:54:28 GMT -5
~ The Kingsroad ~
Episode 1 - Foreshadowing & Symbolism
Episode 2 is full of more foreshadowing for the future of the story as much of the scenes are centered around relationships between pairs of characters, families, tensions and a lot of farewells. Farewell to old times and old ways.
In many ways The Kingsroad epsisode's theme represents traveling down a new path towards uncertain future.
Let's explore those themes.
~~~
Change Is Coming
This road of hardship is most evident with the opening scene, and Daenerys. We see her sitting slumped on her horse, obviously tired and listless from the long riding of the Dothraki through the Great Grass Sea. She's still wearing the loose pink dress we first saw her in (symbolic of her innocence) and her hair is mostly still loose at this point too. Jorah's first attempts at befriending her takes place as he encourages her to eat and drink.
To distract her from the pain and boredom, he tells her a story:
"In the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai, they say there are fields of Ghost Grass with stalks as pale as milk that glow in the night. It murders all other grass. The Dothraki believe that one day it will cover everything -- That's the way the world will end."
This short story is full of heavy symbolism and foreshadowing of the great end to come as the grass could be seen as winter, or the White Walkers too. The music even makes it seem mysterious and foreboding. As moiaf pointed out to me, the word "murder" is very specifically used by Jorah:
~~~
Abuse of Power
The next theme and a bit of interesting foreshadowing comes in the scene where Tyrion slaps Joffrey. While funny (he slaps him three times!), it's also fairly foreshadowing of trouble to come for Tyrion as he's creating animosity between he and Joffrey, who will soon have a lot of power over him. It's also interesting that The Hound is the one to warn Tyrion that Joffrey will not forget the insult. Tyrion tells him to "Be a Good Dog and remind him." This foreshadows Sandor's eventual abandoning of the crown later.
There's a lot of symbolism of abuse of power in this scene. Joffrey even acts like a petulant child and says he's going to "Tell Mother" which clearly indicates who is really in power.
~~~
This theme of abuse of power and underlying tensions about that are reinforced in the next scene where Tyrion goes to breakfast with his family. Cersei, Jaime, Mycella and Tommen are there eating and Tyrion joins them, very full of himself and cracking obnoxious jokes which has the effect of annoying Cersei enough to leave with the children. I think this was carefully antagonized by Tyrion to get rid of her. This conversation is also very interesting in that it's clear Tyrion suspects something is up about Bran's fall and hints at it by saying he'd be interested in hearing what Bran has to say when he wakes up.
Jaime questions Tyrion's family loyalty.
The person in power here is obvious:
~~~
Dedication to Motherhood
While it's obvious Cersei is controlling and manipulative, it's less obvious yet that she uses her children as part of that. She loves her children, we know that much, but she also uses them to further her own agenda of power. This theme will play out continuously for Cersei in the series.
When she goes to visit Bran and talk with Catelyn, we get the first hint that Cersei does have true feelings of love and devotion to her children despite the control she exerts. She tells the story of how she lost her first child (who had black hair and was Robert's trueborn son) to a fever. How Robert was angry with grief and how she could not even visit her dead child in the crypts after they took him away. There are real tears in her eyes and this moves Catelyn who is full of grief and desperation over Bran's coma state. It's subtle, but you can notice that Cersei compares Bran to her dead child ... twisting the meaning around a bit. She says she hopes Bran lives and prays for him, but comparing him to her dead child seems to me to reflect on her regrets and death - both of which she attributes to Bran.
There's also a curious bit of symbolism from Cersei in this scene when she's speaking of her dead child in comparison to Bran. She says, "The boy looked just like him (Bran) such a little thing ... a bird without feathers."
Symbolic of what Bran would one day become:
~~~
Words as Weapons
This next theme is a favorite of mine. We've always heard the saying "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" in our own culture. In Westeros, words are prophetic and definitely weapons of foreshadowing!
Jaime uses his words as a hint of aggression when he meets Jon Snow and talks about killing a man for the first time and mocking the "perils beyond the wall." He congratulates Jon on joining the Night's Watch. He even says the fateful words "Give my regards to the night's watch."
But he also grabs Jon and pulls him into a controlling grip when they shake hands. Why? Jaime is asserting power over Jon who is helpless and just a bastard boy. Jaime clearly enjoys bullying and has done so with Ned too in the previous episode. Jaime's "weapon" is his arrogance and knowledge that he's a great fighter. Note it's his right hand that grips Jon so tightly.
He'll later lose that right hand, the symbol of his power ...
~~~
Next we see Jon taking the sword he's had made for Arya (where he met Jaime outside) as a present for her. While this is a sad good-bye between two siblings who clearly are very close, there's also great symbolism and foreshadowing here in Arya's acceptance of "Needle" from Jon.
It's Jon who arms Arya with protection - something she will use from here on out both for good and bad along her journey. His words "First Lesson: Stick them with the pointy end" are iconic and endearing but also prophetic for Arya's future as well.
She names her sword "Needle" by saying "Sansa can keep her sewing needles. I've got a needle of my own." And thus Needle becomes Arya's literal weapon. Sansa has no weapon. Her needles are useless and the symbolism here that being a "Lady" is useless (to Arya) is strong. Sansa learns to use her words (courtesy armor) as her weapon of choice where Arya chooses a much different and opposite path.
~~~
Futures & Foreboding
When Jon says good-bye to Bran, the obvious theme of the scene is the tension between he and Catelyn. Even though Jon is making it clear by his words to Bran that he's leaving, Catelyn still resents him and tells him to leave. It's unfair and cruel to Jon.
But Jon's words to Bran hold clues and symbolism for both he and Bran too ...
"I wish I could be here when you wake up. I'm going north with Uncle Benjen. I'm taking the black. I know we always talked about seeing the wall together. But you'll be able to come visit me at Castle Black when you're better. I'll know my way around by then. I'll be a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. We can go out walking beyond the wall if you're not afraid."
Indeed Bran would go beyond the wall, but he would never walk again.
~~~
Robb and Jon say good-bye next in the fateful round of farewells for everyone at Winterfell. It's painful to hear Jon say: "You Starks are hard to kill." knowing Robb will later die so horribly. Robb's future is not as bright as Jon's in that farewell embrace. They never see one another again.
~~
Finally, that fateful scene of foreboding for Jon as he rides off to join Benjen and says good-bye to Ned. I loved the symbolic parting of ways in this scene ... the Starks (with Baratheons and Lannisters) heading off in one direction up the road, where Benjen (and Tyrion) are leading Jon off the opposite way. This goes so nicely with the parting-of-ways symbolism and diverging paths.
Here, Jon asks Ned to tell him about his Mother, but Ned refuses even then, saying they'd talk about it when they see one another again. They too never see one another again.
Whenever I watch this scene, I am always reminded of what a heavy burden it was for Ned to carry the secret of Jon's identity all those years, even from his wife. Allowing Jon to ride off to join the Night's Watch was Ned's final act of protection. He didn't want to tell Jon who he was really until after he'd taken his vows and was safe. Jon's fate seems safe at least to Ned at this point.
~~~
Loyalty vs. Targaryens
I like to refer to the next section of the show's symbolism as Targaryen foreshadowing. A lot of setup is being done to prepare the audience for the perceived threat of the previous Targaryen dynasty that Robert tried to destroy and how this will play into Daenerys as she grows and matures.
Nowhere is this theme more reinforced than the scene between Robert & Ned. At first they are joking around about the "Good 'ol Days" of times past when all they had to do was travel the roads, fight, and warm their beds with wenches. Those were the times Robert loved (though I doubt Ned did).
But quickly we realize there's more to this scene than reminiscing and it's actually a scene to set up the warning of war to come as Robert quickly identifies in his ominous line: "There's a war coming Ned. I don't know who we'll be fighting, but it's coming."
Tensions rise between the two men prior to that though - when Robert gives Ned the news of Daenerys wedding Khal Drogo. Clearly he's been keeping spies watching her and Viserys. Robert wants her killed and Ned bristles at this. We don't know why yet in the story at this point (well book readers do!) and it seems Ned is being protective of the girl. This is curious considering the Mad King Aerys Targaryen killed his Father and Brother, a fact Robert is quick to point out.
I think this is where we get a clue that Ned's loyalty is a problem for him. He's loyal to Robert as a friend and as his king, but his ideals keep him from allowing that loyalty full commitment to Robert's much different perspective. Even though a Targaryen killed his Father/Brother, Ned also has protective loyalty to the remaining Targaryen children after the way their family was destroyed and because his sister bore a child with one.
What an ironic twist of ideals for poor Ned!
~~~
This irony is repeated in the scene between Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister at the campfire on their way to the wall. Tyrion explains why he reads books so much and his loyalty to serving his family. Jon has pie-eyed idealism about serving at the wall, while Tyrion is cynical and mocking of it. Again, Jon's learned this loyalty and honor from Ned and is repeating it. Tyrion likewise has learned the opposite from his own upbringing.
This difference is reinforced with that odd look Tyrion gives Jon when Jon comments "Until your brother killed that king" after Tyrion explains how his Father was hand of the king for 20 years. Tyrion is echoing the same strange contradiction that exists for Ned. How can they defend the Mad King who killed Ned's Father and Brother in such a horrific way? Shouldn't they be grateful to the Lannisters for taking over? There's a lot of gray area here that's strangely ironic as much as the two have such different ideals.
This differing perspectives theme plays into Targaryen foreshadowing for the future.
~~~
Dragon Eggs & Power
The last bit of Targaryen Return foreshadowing takes place with the series of scenes involving Daenerys - her relationship with Drogo ... and ... her Dragon eggs.
In one scene, Dany is being tended by her hand-maidens. Doreah tells her the mythical story of how dragons came from the moon, which is an egg, while the Dothraki maids disagree and tell her the moon is a Goddess. To me, both stories combined are lovely symbolism of Dany's hidden power and future Mother of Dragons status.
"A trader from Qarth told me that dragons come from the moon. " "The moon?" "He told me the moon is an egg, Khaleesi. That once there were two moons in the sky. But one wandered too close to the sun and it cracked from the heat and out of it poured a thousand thousand dragons and they drank the sun's fire."
Daenerys talks privately with Doreah and finds out Doreah was a prostitute and has been taught how to make love to men as a profession. She asks Doreah to teach her how to make the Khal happy and Doreah agrees. This is the first tiny hint we have of Dany trying to take control of something, anything in her life that is hers. Like Sansa, Dany is trapped in a relationship not of her choosing and thus the only weapon she has is her body and her charm. Dany will use this power to gain a small bit of control over Khal Drogo by making him fall in love with her.
We previously saw poor Dany enduring night after night of rough treatment by Drogo, who sees her only as his property, a horse to be mounted like all his others. Dany's focus on her eggs in that scene is a clue she's trying to find strength from them and to keep her mind off of her horrible existence as a "slave" at that point.
It's this opportunity she finds in Doreah's teachings that leads to ending that status as slave ...
~~~
The Lions & Wolves
The last scenes of the episode shift the focus from Daenerys back to the Starks and heavy emphasis / symbolism of the Direwolves and the pack (family) that's being torn apart already.
We already saw the scene where Summer protected Bran from the attacker (who came from the Lannisters) but things get more intense as the royal traveling party stops at an Inn for rest.
There are so many small clues that pop up about the shift in power and control it's difficult to talk about them all in depth so I'll summarize a bit:
All of these things could be considered foreshadowing of the weakening of the Starks and the empowering of the Lannisters as the story unfolds.
Arya, losing Nymeria is symbolic of her becoming "The Lost Wolf."
"You've got to go. They'll kill you for what you did to Joffrey."
Sansa, losing Lady is symbolic of her losing her Stark identity entirely. She's a "Lady" which equates to victim in this sense. Lady the direwolf was a victim who did nothing wrong. Ned would have to destroy her and in that way seems to be dooming Sansa as well.
And finally, the very last scene of the episode ... which occurs at the exact moment Ned kills Lady. Bran opens his eyes!
The symbolism here is of the deep connection between the direwolves and the children. Bran's a warg, so we can imagine he's been dreaming through Summer's eyes as he slept (coma) and Summer protected him while he healed... both literally and figuratively.
There's foreshadowing here and a lot of uncertainty. Does Bran know what happened to him? His fall and near death has fractured his entire family and caused by the Lannisters.
The lions have come to their woods to hunt.
Episode 1 - Foreshadowing & Symbolism
Episode 2 is full of more foreshadowing for the future of the story as much of the scenes are centered around relationships between pairs of characters, families, tensions and a lot of farewells. Farewell to old times and old ways.
In many ways The Kingsroad epsisode's theme represents traveling down a new path towards uncertain future.
Let's explore those themes.
~~~
Change Is Coming
This road of hardship is most evident with the opening scene, and Daenerys. We see her sitting slumped on her horse, obviously tired and listless from the long riding of the Dothraki through the Great Grass Sea. She's still wearing the loose pink dress we first saw her in (symbolic of her innocence) and her hair is mostly still loose at this point too. Jorah's first attempts at befriending her takes place as he encourages her to eat and drink.
To distract her from the pain and boredom, he tells her a story:
"In the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai, they say there are fields of Ghost Grass with stalks as pale as milk that glow in the night. It murders all other grass. The Dothraki believe that one day it will cover everything -- That's the way the world will end."
This short story is full of heavy symbolism and foreshadowing of the great end to come as the grass could be seen as winter, or the White Walkers too. The music even makes it seem mysterious and foreboding. As moiaf pointed out to me, the word "murder" is very specifically used by Jorah:
The Ghost Grass, not only is it winter but also I believe a symbolic representation of the Others themselves. Jorah says it glows in the night, i.e. the Others eyes glow in the night. He goes on to say that it murders all other grass. Murder is a very specific word, he could have said destroys or even kill, but there is premeditation to murder. Something you have to decide to do.
This is why I think there is a connection between this anecdote and the prophecy of the Stallion Who Mounts the World (for Daenerys).
This is why I think there is a connection between this anecdote and the prophecy of the Stallion Who Mounts the World (for Daenerys).
~~~
Abuse of Power
The next theme and a bit of interesting foreshadowing comes in the scene where Tyrion slaps Joffrey. While funny (he slaps him three times!), it's also fairly foreshadowing of trouble to come for Tyrion as he's creating animosity between he and Joffrey, who will soon have a lot of power over him. It's also interesting that The Hound is the one to warn Tyrion that Joffrey will not forget the insult. Tyrion tells him to "Be a Good Dog and remind him." This foreshadows Sandor's eventual abandoning of the crown later.
There's a lot of symbolism of abuse of power in this scene. Joffrey even acts like a petulant child and says he's going to "Tell Mother" which clearly indicates who is really in power.
~~~
This theme of abuse of power and underlying tensions about that are reinforced in the next scene where Tyrion goes to breakfast with his family. Cersei, Jaime, Mycella and Tommen are there eating and Tyrion joins them, very full of himself and cracking obnoxious jokes which has the effect of annoying Cersei enough to leave with the children. I think this was carefully antagonized by Tyrion to get rid of her. This conversation is also very interesting in that it's clear Tyrion suspects something is up about Bran's fall and hints at it by saying he'd be interested in hearing what Bran has to say when he wakes up.
Jaime questions Tyrion's family loyalty.
The person in power here is obvious:
~~~
Dedication to Motherhood
While it's obvious Cersei is controlling and manipulative, it's less obvious yet that she uses her children as part of that. She loves her children, we know that much, but she also uses them to further her own agenda of power. This theme will play out continuously for Cersei in the series.
When she goes to visit Bran and talk with Catelyn, we get the first hint that Cersei does have true feelings of love and devotion to her children despite the control she exerts. She tells the story of how she lost her first child (who had black hair and was Robert's trueborn son) to a fever. How Robert was angry with grief and how she could not even visit her dead child in the crypts after they took him away. There are real tears in her eyes and this moves Catelyn who is full of grief and desperation over Bran's coma state. It's subtle, but you can notice that Cersei compares Bran to her dead child ... twisting the meaning around a bit. She says she hopes Bran lives and prays for him, but comparing him to her dead child seems to me to reflect on her regrets and death - both of which she attributes to Bran.
There's also a curious bit of symbolism from Cersei in this scene when she's speaking of her dead child in comparison to Bran. She says, "The boy looked just like him (Bran) such a little thing ... a bird without feathers."
Symbolic of what Bran would one day become:
~~~
Words as Weapons
This next theme is a favorite of mine. We've always heard the saying "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" in our own culture. In Westeros, words are prophetic and definitely weapons of foreshadowing!
Jaime uses his words as a hint of aggression when he meets Jon Snow and talks about killing a man for the first time and mocking the "perils beyond the wall." He congratulates Jon on joining the Night's Watch. He even says the fateful words "Give my regards to the night's watch."
But he also grabs Jon and pulls him into a controlling grip when they shake hands. Why? Jaime is asserting power over Jon who is helpless and just a bastard boy. Jaime clearly enjoys bullying and has done so with Ned too in the previous episode. Jaime's "weapon" is his arrogance and knowledge that he's a great fighter. Note it's his right hand that grips Jon so tightly.
He'll later lose that right hand, the symbol of his power ...
~~~
Next we see Jon taking the sword he's had made for Arya (where he met Jaime outside) as a present for her. While this is a sad good-bye between two siblings who clearly are very close, there's also great symbolism and foreshadowing here in Arya's acceptance of "Needle" from Jon.
It's Jon who arms Arya with protection - something she will use from here on out both for good and bad along her journey. His words "First Lesson: Stick them with the pointy end" are iconic and endearing but also prophetic for Arya's future as well.
She names her sword "Needle" by saying "Sansa can keep her sewing needles. I've got a needle of my own." And thus Needle becomes Arya's literal weapon. Sansa has no weapon. Her needles are useless and the symbolism here that being a "Lady" is useless (to Arya) is strong. Sansa learns to use her words (courtesy armor) as her weapon of choice where Arya chooses a much different and opposite path.
~~~
Futures & Foreboding
When Jon says good-bye to Bran, the obvious theme of the scene is the tension between he and Catelyn. Even though Jon is making it clear by his words to Bran that he's leaving, Catelyn still resents him and tells him to leave. It's unfair and cruel to Jon.
But Jon's words to Bran hold clues and symbolism for both he and Bran too ...
"I wish I could be here when you wake up. I'm going north with Uncle Benjen. I'm taking the black. I know we always talked about seeing the wall together. But you'll be able to come visit me at Castle Black when you're better. I'll know my way around by then. I'll be a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. We can go out walking beyond the wall if you're not afraid."
Indeed Bran would go beyond the wall, but he would never walk again.
~~~
Robb and Jon say good-bye next in the fateful round of farewells for everyone at Winterfell. It's painful to hear Jon say: "You Starks are hard to kill." knowing Robb will later die so horribly. Robb's future is not as bright as Jon's in that farewell embrace. They never see one another again.
~~
Finally, that fateful scene of foreboding for Jon as he rides off to join Benjen and says good-bye to Ned. I loved the symbolic parting of ways in this scene ... the Starks (with Baratheons and Lannisters) heading off in one direction up the road, where Benjen (and Tyrion) are leading Jon off the opposite way. This goes so nicely with the parting-of-ways symbolism and diverging paths.
Here, Jon asks Ned to tell him about his Mother, but Ned refuses even then, saying they'd talk about it when they see one another again. They too never see one another again.
Whenever I watch this scene, I am always reminded of what a heavy burden it was for Ned to carry the secret of Jon's identity all those years, even from his wife. Allowing Jon to ride off to join the Night's Watch was Ned's final act of protection. He didn't want to tell Jon who he was really until after he'd taken his vows and was safe. Jon's fate seems safe at least to Ned at this point.
~~~
Loyalty vs. Targaryens
I like to refer to the next section of the show's symbolism as Targaryen foreshadowing. A lot of setup is being done to prepare the audience for the perceived threat of the previous Targaryen dynasty that Robert tried to destroy and how this will play into Daenerys as she grows and matures.
Nowhere is this theme more reinforced than the scene between Robert & Ned. At first they are joking around about the "Good 'ol Days" of times past when all they had to do was travel the roads, fight, and warm their beds with wenches. Those were the times Robert loved (though I doubt Ned did).
But quickly we realize there's more to this scene than reminiscing and it's actually a scene to set up the warning of war to come as Robert quickly identifies in his ominous line: "There's a war coming Ned. I don't know who we'll be fighting, but it's coming."
Tensions rise between the two men prior to that though - when Robert gives Ned the news of Daenerys wedding Khal Drogo. Clearly he's been keeping spies watching her and Viserys. Robert wants her killed and Ned bristles at this. We don't know why yet in the story at this point (well book readers do!) and it seems Ned is being protective of the girl. This is curious considering the Mad King Aerys Targaryen killed his Father and Brother, a fact Robert is quick to point out.
I think this is where we get a clue that Ned's loyalty is a problem for him. He's loyal to Robert as a friend and as his king, but his ideals keep him from allowing that loyalty full commitment to Robert's much different perspective. Even though a Targaryen killed his Father/Brother, Ned also has protective loyalty to the remaining Targaryen children after the way their family was destroyed and because his sister bore a child with one.
What an ironic twist of ideals for poor Ned!
~~~
This irony is repeated in the scene between Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister at the campfire on their way to the wall. Tyrion explains why he reads books so much and his loyalty to serving his family. Jon has pie-eyed idealism about serving at the wall, while Tyrion is cynical and mocking of it. Again, Jon's learned this loyalty and honor from Ned and is repeating it. Tyrion likewise has learned the opposite from his own upbringing.
This difference is reinforced with that odd look Tyrion gives Jon when Jon comments "Until your brother killed that king" after Tyrion explains how his Father was hand of the king for 20 years. Tyrion is echoing the same strange contradiction that exists for Ned. How can they defend the Mad King who killed Ned's Father and Brother in such a horrific way? Shouldn't they be grateful to the Lannisters for taking over? There's a lot of gray area here that's strangely ironic as much as the two have such different ideals.
This differing perspectives theme plays into Targaryen foreshadowing for the future.
~~~
Dragon Eggs & Power
The last bit of Targaryen Return foreshadowing takes place with the series of scenes involving Daenerys - her relationship with Drogo ... and ... her Dragon eggs.
In one scene, Dany is being tended by her hand-maidens. Doreah tells her the mythical story of how dragons came from the moon, which is an egg, while the Dothraki maids disagree and tell her the moon is a Goddess. To me, both stories combined are lovely symbolism of Dany's hidden power and future Mother of Dragons status.
"A trader from Qarth told me that dragons come from the moon. " "The moon?" "He told me the moon is an egg, Khaleesi. That once there were two moons in the sky. But one wandered too close to the sun and it cracked from the heat and out of it poured a thousand thousand dragons and they drank the sun's fire."
Daenerys talks privately with Doreah and finds out Doreah was a prostitute and has been taught how to make love to men as a profession. She asks Doreah to teach her how to make the Khal happy and Doreah agrees. This is the first tiny hint we have of Dany trying to take control of something, anything in her life that is hers. Like Sansa, Dany is trapped in a relationship not of her choosing and thus the only weapon she has is her body and her charm. Dany will use this power to gain a small bit of control over Khal Drogo by making him fall in love with her.
We previously saw poor Dany enduring night after night of rough treatment by Drogo, who sees her only as his property, a horse to be mounted like all his others. Dany's focus on her eggs in that scene is a clue she's trying to find strength from them and to keep her mind off of her horrible existence as a "slave" at that point.
It's this opportunity she finds in Doreah's teachings that leads to ending that status as slave ...
~~~
The Lions & Wolves
The last scenes of the episode shift the focus from Daenerys back to the Starks and heavy emphasis / symbolism of the Direwolves and the pack (family) that's being torn apart already.
We already saw the scene where Summer protected Bran from the attacker (who came from the Lannisters) but things get more intense as the royal traveling party stops at an Inn for rest.
There are so many small clues that pop up about the shift in power and control it's difficult to talk about them all in depth so I'll summarize a bit:
- Sansa is frightened by Illyn Payne and Sandor Clegane is blamed by Joffrey
- Joffrey encourages Sansa to drink when she says her Father only lets them have one cup
- Joffrey torments and threatens the butcher's boy causing Arya to attack him
- Arya is forced to drive Nymeria away to try and save her after she's bitten Joffrey
- Cersei has Arya brought in front of King Robert and Ned isn't told first
- Cersei already has control of Sansa by having her there and ready to 'testify' against Arya
- Robert is easily controlled and encouraged to force Ned to kill the direwolf Lady
- Joffrey's lies are obvious, even to Robert who calls him out for letting Arya disarm him
- Ned's willingness to kill Lady is a sign of his entrapment in the situation between Robert and Cersei
All of these things could be considered foreshadowing of the weakening of the Starks and the empowering of the Lannisters as the story unfolds.
Arya, losing Nymeria is symbolic of her becoming "The Lost Wolf."
"You've got to go. They'll kill you for what you did to Joffrey."
Sansa, losing Lady is symbolic of her losing her Stark identity entirely. She's a "Lady" which equates to victim in this sense. Lady the direwolf was a victim who did nothing wrong. Ned would have to destroy her and in that way seems to be dooming Sansa as well.
And finally, the very last scene of the episode ... which occurs at the exact moment Ned kills Lady. Bran opens his eyes!
The symbolism here is of the deep connection between the direwolves and the children. Bran's a warg, so we can imagine he's been dreaming through Summer's eyes as he slept (coma) and Summer protected him while he healed... both literally and figuratively.
There's foreshadowing here and a lot of uncertainty. Does Bran know what happened to him? His fall and near death has fractured his entire family and caused by the Lannisters.
The lions have come to their woods to hunt.
icon in the bottom right bar (may not be applicable if you're on Forums.net), or you can disable the welcome window and/or the icon by going to Plugins > Manage > Custom Mini-Profile Creator and changing the Show Help option.
