'Game of Thrones' season 2 episode guide

Here's a refresher of everything you need to know from season 2 of Game of Thrones. (Check out our guides for all other seasons and our list of essential episodes down below.)

Episode 1: "The North Remembers"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alan Taylor

Plot: Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) arrived at King's Landing and informed everyone that Tywin (Charles Dance) — busy with war — had named him acting Hand, much to Cersei's (Lena Headey) dismay. An order went out to murder all of Robert's (Mark Addy) bastards, but Gendry (Joe Dempsie) was already on the road north. Dany (Emilia Clarke) and the Dothraki — accompanied by her freshly hatched dragons — were struggling in the Red Waste, so she sent three riders off in search of life. The Night's Watch crew entered creepy Craster's (Robert Pugh) home and met all of his daughters/wives. In Dragonstone, Red Priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten) converted Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), Robert's brother, to the ways of the Lord of Light. Stannis' knight Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) was not a Melisandre fan and wanted Stannis to make peace with his brother Renly (Gethin Anthony) or join Robb Stark (Richard Madden), but Stannis, believing himself the rightful heir to the throne, took a hard pass. He also sent ravens with the news — imparted to him by Ned Stark (Sean Bean) — that Cersei's children were Jaime's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Robb sent Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) to ask Renly to join them, and Theon (Alfie Allen) offered to secure ships from his dad.

Introduced: Stannis; Melisandre; Davos; Salladhor Saan, the pirate who joined Team Stannis; and Craster and his daughters, including Gilly, who connected with Sam

Historic moment: Melisandre's "The night is dark and full of terrors"

Grade: B+

Episode 2: "The Night Lands"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alan Taylor

Plot: Theon headed home to the Iron Islands and promptly hit on his sister, Yara (Gemma Whelan), not recognizing her after so many years away. His cranky father, Balon (Patrick Malahide), was unimpressed by his returning son and said he was not joining Robb's — or anyone's — army. Arya (Maisie Williams) admitted to Gendry that she was Ned's daughter. In King's Landing, Tyrion was nervous that Shae (Sibel Kekilli) had met with Varys (Conleth Hill), and a raven arrived with word of the White Walkers.

Introduced: Yara and Balon Greyjoy

Historic moment: Jon (Kit Harington) saw a baby boy, abandoned in the woods by Craster, taken by a White Walker.

Grade: B+

Episode 3: "What Is Dead May Never Die"

Writer: Bryan Cogman

Director: Alik Sakharov

Plot: Jon shared the horrifying news of Craster's baby sacrifices with Commander Mormont (James Cosmo), who already knew. Catelyn visited Renly in hopes of forging an alliance. Renly later had trouble forging an alliance with his wife, Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), in the bedroom; she helpfully offered to invite her brother, Loras (Finn Jones), in to assist. Tyrion assigned Shae to be Sansa's (Sophie Turner) handmaiden and ordered Cersei's daughter, Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free), to Dorne to be married. Arya saved H'ghar's (Tom Wlaschiha) and Gendry's lives from Lannister bannermen.

Introduced: Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), who defeated Loras in a match and was invited to join Renly's guard

Historic moment: In a move that proved to be bad news for a lot of people — most of all himself — Theon chose a side, pledging allegiance to the Iron Islands.

Grade: B+

Episode 4: "Garden of Bones"

Writer: Vanessa Taylor

Director: David Petrarca

Plot: In King's Landing, Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) rained more cruelty on Sansa and a pair of sex workers. Tyrion enlisted his sister's young lover — and cousin, natch — Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon), to spy on Cersei. Arya and Gendry wound up prisoners at the very bleak Harrenhal, where Tywin put Arya to work as a cupbearer since he knew she was a girl. Dany and her road-weary crew were, eventually, welcomed into the gorgeous city of Qarth. The remaining Baratheon bros met and came to no peace accord.

Introduced: The ominous smoke monster that Melisandre gave "birth" to in a cave; Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), one of Robb's generals

Historic moment: It was love at first sight GoT-style as Robb assisted headstrong field nurse Talisa (Oona Chaplin) in an amputation.

Grade: B

Episode 5: "The Ghost of Harrenhal"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: David Petrarca

Plot: Catelyn was conferring with Renly when, to her and Brienne's horror, Melisandre's shadow monster entered the tent and killed him. The women fled and Brienne pledged her service to Catelyn. Loras and Margaery also escaped as Stannis' troops arrived, and Renly's men switched their allegiance to him. Tyrion got a load of the wildfire Cersei was cooking up in King's Landing; Dany turned down a proposal of marriage in Qarth; and absolutely everybody dunked on Theon, who was given one ship and got the (not-so-)bright idea to take Winterfell, which triggered Bran's (Isaac Hempstead Wright) dream of the sea crashing into his home.

Introduced: Qhorin Halfhand (Simon Armstrong), a Night's Watch ranger, whom Jon joined on a mission to investigate the Wildling army

Historic moment: H'ghar offered to kill three people for Arya in exchange for the lives, including his, that she saved.

Grade: B+

Episode 6: "The Old Gods and the New"

Writer: Vanessa Taylor

Director: David Nutter

Plot: Theon took Winterfell in the most honor-free way imaginable, and with no foresight for strategy. Osha (Natalia Tena) managed to escape with Bran, his brother Rickon (Art Parkinson), and a servant, Hodor (Kristian Nairn); Jon and Qhorin came face to face with some Wildlings, including a particularly fierce redhead. In King's Landing, Joffrey's bodyguard, Sandor "the Hound" Clegane (Rory McCann), rescued Sansa from a melee when a crowd rose up against the king. At Harrenhal, H'ghar took a second man's life, helping Arya narrowly avoid Tywin discovering she's a Stark. Roose told Robb he would send his bastard to take Winterfell back from Theon. In Qarth, there was a grand theft dragon!

Introduced: Ygritte (Rose Leslie), the aforementioned redhead

Historic moment: Ygritte's first, but not last, great Jon Snow zinger: "You're brave. Stupid, but brave."

Grade: B+

Episode 7: "A Man Without Honor"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: David Nutter

Plot: Unable to carry out Qhorin's order to kill Ygritte, Jon found himself captured by her Wildling pals. When Theon discovered Bran and Rickon escaped Winterfell, he killed two local boys and burned their bodies to display as decoys; he felt bad, but also needed to assert himself. A frantic Dany searched for her dragons in Qarth; blood was shed. In King's Landing, Sansa was distraught to discover she got her first period, which meant she could now bear Joffrey's children. Meanwhile, Jaime — still in Robb's custody — killed his cousin in an (ultimately botched) escape attempt. During a chat about history, Tywin deduced that Arya was highborn and said she reminded him of Cersei.

Introduced: The interior of the House of the Undying

Historic moment: "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

Grade: B+

Episode 8: "The Prince of Winterfell"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alan Taylor

Plot: Yara was not impressed with Theon taking a castle so far from the sea and "killing" the strategically valuable Stark children. Both captured, Qhorin told Jon he should kill him, so the Wildlings would trust him. Robb talked marriage — and got up close and personal — with Talisa. He also discovered that Catelyn sent Jaime off with Brienne to swap for her daughters, believing Cersei had them both. So, naturally, Robb arrested his mother. In the bowels of Winterfell, Osha revealed to Stark loyalist Maester Luwin (Donald Sumpter) that she, the boys, and Hodor doubled back. Arya, Gendry, and their friend Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) escaped Harrenhal, thanks to H'ghar's final murder on Arya's behalf. Tyrion was rightfully worried that Joffrey (and King's Landing), were not prepared for the fight with Stannis' approaching fleet.

Introduced: How Davos got the nickname "Onion Knight"

Historic moment: The start of the Brienne and Jaime road show

Grade: B+

Episode 9: "Blackwater"

Writer: George R.R. Martin

Director: Neil Marshall

Plot: The Battle of Blackwater was now upon King's Landing. Tyrion's various strategies, including the deployment of wildfire to fend off approaching ships, turned out to be (gruesome) winners. A cowardly Joffrey scuttled away when the tides began to turn, leaving Tyrion to rally the troops to hold the line: "Those are brave men knocking at our door, let's go kill them." All hope seemed like it might be lost, and just as Tyrion was injured — by one of his own men — he saw Tywin leading a fresh army to the rescue. Sitting on the Iron Throne, Cersei was poised to poison her youngest son, Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), should the keep be breached, but was relieved when a triumphant Tywin strode into the throne room.

Introduced/Historic moment: Wildfire in action

Grade: A+

Episode 10: "Valar Morghulis"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alan Taylor

Plot: Victory's spoils included Tywin becoming Hand to Joffrey again, Littlefinger being awarded Harrenhal, and Margaery receiving the booby prize of marrying the king. Tyrion, essentially powerless, nursed his wounds and the knowledge that Cersei orchestrated the attack on him. Robb secretly married Talisa while the Brienne & Jaime Show continued apace; Roose's bastard son seized Winterfell from Theon; and Bran and the gang headed for the Wall. Dany was reunited with her dragons in Qarth. H'ghar gave Arya a coin that would help her in the future. Back at Dragonstone, Stannis was mad at Melisandre, since he lost the battle. She continued to tell him he'd be king and entranced him with fire. Qhorin goaded Jon into killing him, and the Wildlings freed him.

Historic moment: Three horns sounded: the White Walkers — a whole lot of them — were on the move.

Grade: B+

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