The Old Gods and the New
In the episode, a riot breaks out in King's Landing as King Joffrey Baratheon passes through Flea Bottom; Theon Greyjoy seizes Winterfell and executes Ser Rodrik Cassel; Arya Stark struggles to stay undercover at Harrenhal; Robb Stark flirts with Talisa, a field nurse, before learning of Theon's attack; Jon Snow and his companions ambush a wildling outpost beyond the Wall; and Daenerys Targaryen discovers that her dragons have been stolen in Qarth.
This episode was acclaimed by critics, who praised the King's Landing riot sequence, character development, and final scenes, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic).
Discovering the nurse is Lady Talisa Maegyr from the Free City of Volantis and sensing Robb's attraction, Catelyn reminds him he is to marry Walder Frey's daughter.
Receiving news of Theon's betrayal and Ser Rodrik’s execution, Robb declares he will recapture Winterfell, but Roose Bolton advises he will lose what he has gained against the Lannisters.
Bolton proposes sending his bastard son with the forces left at his stronghold, the Dreadfort, and Robb reluctantly agrees, demanding Theon be taken alive so he can personally execute him.
Returning to Xaro’s mansion, Daenerys and her entourage discover that Qartheen guards, members of her khalasar, and her handmaiden Irri have been killed and her dragons stolen.
"The Old Gods and the New" is the second episode scripted by the season's new addition to the writing staff Vanessa Taylor, adapting the material taken from the following chapters of George R.R.
[3] She was also trained in basic stage combat at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and was eager to play the most physical aspects of her role.
Iceland was used to depict the far north, and the scenes from this episode (and the next one) were filmed at the glacier Svínafellsjökull in Vatnajökull National Park, close to Skaftafell.
The website's critical consensus reads, "Thanks to a balance of thrilling action, complex character work, and a savage twist, 'The Old Gods and The New' justifies its deviation from the source material.
"[13] IGN's Matt Fowler gave the episode a perfect 10 out of 10, noting that "Book purists will certainly have their gripes, but I found 'The Old Gods and the New' to be nothing short of an intense triumph; (sic) filled with tons of cruelty and shock.
She also praised the thematic unity of the episode, achieved by making the large number of character arcs take place in the course of a single day.
[15] Jace Lacob of Televisionary echoed the above sentiments, calling the episode by far the best of the season thus far: "All in all, 'The Old Gods and New' represented a massive achievement for Game of Thrones, a stunning display of well-crafted dialogue, subtle acting, deliberate pacing, and glorious setting, and the firm establishment that the show's continuity is well and truly separate from that of the novels."
