Valar Morghulis

Last updated
"Valar Morghulis"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 10
Directed by Alan Taylor
Written by David Benioff
D. B. Weiss
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by Jonathan Freeman
Editing byFrances Parker
Original air dateJune 3, 2012 (2012-06-03)
Running time63 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Blackwater"		Next →
"Valar Dohaeris"
Game of Thrones season 2
List of episodes

"Valar Morghulis" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones , and the 20th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor. [1] It first aired on June 3, 2012. [2]

Contents

The episode concludes many storylines featured throughout the second season, such as Tyrion Lannister's position as Hand of the King, Stannis Baratheon's impending invasion, and Sansa Stark's betrothal to Joffrey Baratheon. In the episode, citizens of King's Landing deal with the aftermath of Stannis's failed attack on the city, with Tywin Lannister being named Hand of the King in Tyrion's stead; Sansa's engagement to Joffrey is annulled, and Margaery Tyrell is betrothed in her place; and Stannis broods in defeat at Dragonstone. Other plotlines include Brienne of Tarth escorting Jaime Lannister south, Jon Snow earning the trust of the Free Folk, and Daenerys Targaryen reuniting with her dragons in the House of the Undying. The episode's title is a code phrase spoken by Jaqen H'ghar to Arya Stark, but its meaning, "all men must die," is not explained until the next season.

"Valar Morghulis" received positive reviews from critics and viewers, with many praising the writing, development, and the final scene. It achieved a viewership of 4.20 million during its initial airing in the United States, setting a new record for the series. At the 64th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the episode won the award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects and was nominated for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup.

The episode marks the final appearance of Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo).

Plot

In King's Landing

Tywin is named Hand of the King and Baelish is awarded Harrenhal. Ser Loras asks Joffrey to wed Lady Margaery, with Cersei‘s agreement and Lord Pycelle’s confirmation that the sacred vow taken with Sansa has been nullified due to her family’s treason. Baelish offers to smuggle Sansa home but she declines.

Scarred and without allies except Podrick, Tyrion suspects his sister Cersei was behind the attempt on his life. Bronn is dismissed from his position as captain of the City Watch. Shae tries to convince Tyrion to leave for Pentos, but he refuses.

At Dragonstone

Stannis tries to strangle Melisandre for his defeat but relents after truly comprehending her involvement in Renly's death. His faith in her is restored when he sees visions in the flames.

In the Westerlands

Escorting Jaime to King's Landing, Brienne finds three women lynched by Stark soldiers for sleeping with Lannister soldiers. She kills the Stark soldiers after one recognizes Jaime before burying the women. Brienne reminds Jaime that she serves Catelyn, not House Stark.

Robb confides in Catelyn that he loves Talisa and will not proceed with the arranged marriage to House Frey. Despite Catelyn's warning, Robb marries Talisa.

At Winterfell

Under siege, Theon rejects Luwin's advice to leave for the Night's Watch, believing Jon will kill him. Theon tries to rally his men, but is knocked out by Dagmer and brought to the Bolton forces. Luwin is stabbed by Dagmer.

Bran and his party find Winterfell burned and Luwin dying in the Godswood, advising them to head for the Wall before having Osha mercifully kill him.

In the Riverlands

Fleeing Harrenhal, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are surprised by Jaqen, who offers to train Arya in what he knows, but she declines, saying she must find her family. He gives her a special coin and the phrase "Valar morghulis" to use to find him, and reveals his face-changing ability before departing.

In Qarth

Pyat Pree's magic strands Jorah and Kovarro outside the House of the Undying while trapping Daenerys within. After encountering strange visions of a ruined King’s Landing, entering beyond the Wall and lastly seeing Drogo with their deceased baby boy, she finally finds her dragons chained as Pyat Pree appears and binds her. Daenerys orders her dragons to breathe fire, killing Pyat Pree and freeing her and her dragons as their binding chains dissolved.

Daenerys finds Xaro in bed with Doreah and seals them in Xaro's empty vault (revealing that his claim to be wealthy was a lie all along). She and her companions then loot Xaro's house to buy a ship to sail to Astapor.

Beyond the Wall

Qhorin goads Jon into killing him, convincing the wildlings Jon has defected. Jon is introduced to the massive wildling force and promised a meeting with Mance Rayder.

Edd, Grenn and Sam hear three horn blasts (meaning White Walkers). Edd and Grenn run and leave Sam. Sam is surrounded by an army of wights and a White Walker as they march toward the Night's Watch's encampment.

Production

Writing

The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. D. B. Weiss and David Benioff.jpg
The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

The episode was written by producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (their sixth and final script of the season) and directed by Alan Taylor. It was Taylor's final episode on the show until he returned for the season seven episode "Beyond the Wall". The episode covers chapters Tyrion XV, Sansa VIII, Theon VI, Arya IX, Bran VII, Daenerys IV, and Jon VIII from A Clash of Kings and the prologue and chapters Jaime I, Tyrion I, and Jon I of A Storm of Swords . [3] As a season finale, "Valar Morghulis" is a slightly extended episode.

Filming

The Minčeta Tower in Dubrovnik was used as the location of the House of the Undying. [4]

Reception

Ratings

In its original broadcast on June 3, 2012, the episode received 4.20 million viewers, to become the most-watched episode of the series until the third season aired. [5] In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 0.973 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. [6]

Critical reception

"Valar Morghulis" received highly positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 92% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.6/10.The website's consensus reads: "Smart writing, a few surprising plot developments, and an ominous final scene make 'Valar Morghulis' a satisfying conclusion to a stellar season." [7] Matt Fowler of IGN rated the episode 9 out of 10. [8] David Sims of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade. [9]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
2012 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special Paul Engelen, Conor O'Sullivan, and Rob TrentonNominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects Rainer Gombos, Juri Stanossek, Sven Martin, Steve Kullback, Jan Fiedler, Chris Stenner, Tobias Mannewitz, Thilo Ewers, and Adam Chazen Won
2013 Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television Won
Best Sound Editing – Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in TelevisionWon
Visual Effects Society Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast ProgramRainer Gombos, Steve Kullback, Sven Martin, and Juri StanossekWon

Related Research Articles

<i>A Clash of Kings</i> 1998 novel by George R. R. Martin

A Clash of Kings is the second of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin, an epic fantasy series. It was first published in the United Kingdom on November 16, 1998; the first United States edition followed on February 2, 1999. Like its predecessor, A Game of Thrones, it won the Locus Award for Best Novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel. In May 2005, Meisha Merlin released a limited edition of the novel, fully illustrated by John Howe.

<i>A Storm of Swords</i> Novel by George R. R. Martin

A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2000, with a United States edition following in November 2000. Its publication was preceded by a novella called Path of the Dragon, which collects some of the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel into a single book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sansa Stark</span> Fictional character in A Song of Ice and Fire

Sansa Stark, later Alayne Stone, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. Introduced in A Game of Thrones (1996), Sansa is the eldest daughter and second child of Lord Eddard Stark and his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark. She subsequently appeared in the following three novels: A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), and A Feast for Crows (2005). While absent from the fifth novel, A Dance with Dragons, Sansa will return in the forthcoming book, The Winds of Winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roose Bolton</span> Fictional character

Roose Bolton is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its HBO television adaptation Game of Thrones, where he is depicted by actor Michael McElhatton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaime Lannister</span> Fictional character in A Song of Ice and Fire novels

Jaime Lannister is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, where he is portrayed by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Jaime becomes a prominent point of view character in the novels beginning with A Storm of Swords (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brienne of Tarth</span> Character from A Song of Ice and Fire

Brienne of Tarth is a fictional character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. She is a prominent point of view character in the novels.

"What Is Dead May Never Die" is the third episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, first airing on April 15, 2012. The episode is written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Alik Sakharov, who worked previously as the director of photography on four season one episodes.

"Garden of Bones" is the fourth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 14th overall. The episode was directed by David Petrarca, his directorial debut for the series, and was written by Vanessa Taylor. It first aired on April 22, 2012.

"The Ghost of Harrenhal" is the fifth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by David Petrarca, his second episode this season. It premiered on April 29, 2012.

"A Man Without Honor" is the seventh episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 17th episode overall, "A Man Without Honor" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter. It first aired on HBO on May 13, 2012.

"The Prince of Winterfell" is the eighth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 18th overall. The episode was directed by Alan Taylor and written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It first aired on May 20, 2012.

"Valar Dohaeris" is the third season premiere episode of the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan, it aired on March 31, 2013.

"The Bear and the Maiden Fair" is the seventh episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 27th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which the series is based, and was directed by Michelle MacLaren, her directorial debut for the series.

"Kissed by Fire" is the fifth episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 25th episode of the whole series. Directed by Alex Graves and written by Bryan Cogman, it aired on April 28, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mhysa</span> 10th episode of the 3rd season of Game of Thrones

"Mhysa" is the third season finale of the American medieval epic fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and its 30th episode overall. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter, it originally aired on June 9, 2013 on HBO in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arya Stark</span> Character in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones

Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy novel series and its HBO television adaptation Game of Thrones, where she was portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. She is a prominent point-of-view character in the novels with the third most viewpoint chapters and is the only character to have a viewpoint chapter in every published book of the series, with her chapters having various alternative titles such as "Cat of the Canal", "The Blind Girl", "The Ugly Little Girl" and "Mercy" from the fourth book onwards.

"The House of Black and White" is the second episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 42nd episode overall, it was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Michael Slovis. It first aired on HBO on April 19, 2015.

"High Sparrow" is the third episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 43rd episode of the series overall, "High Sparrow" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Mark Mylod, his directorial debut for the series. It first aired on HBO on April 26, 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "Game of Thrones: Valar Morghulis". HBO . Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Valar Morghulis". Metacritic . Paramount Global . Retrieved 28 September 2022. Air Date: June 3, 2012
  3. ↑ Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda (March 24, 2014). "EP210: Valar Morghulis". Westeros.org. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ "44 incredible Game of Thrones locations". Skyscanner. April 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 5, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs + 'Game of Thrones' Finale, MTV Movie Awards, 'Sister Wives', 'The Glades', 'Longmire' + More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Top 10 Ratings (4–10 June 2012)". BARB . Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Valar Morghulis". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Fowler, Matt (June 2, 2012). "Game of Thrones: "Valar Morghulis" Review". IGN . Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  9. ↑ Sims, David (June 3, 2012). "'Valar Morghulis' (for newbies)". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 5, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.