Search results
"The Dance of Dragons" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones.
- Overview
- Synopsis
- Appearances
- Cast
- Quotes
- Behind the scenes
- In the books
"The Dance of Dragons" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. It is the forty-ninth episode of the series overall. It premiered on June 7, 2015 on HBO. It was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter.
At the Wall
Jon Snow, Tormund, and the surviving few thousand wildlings from Hardhome arrive at the Wall, before the gates of Castle Black. For a tense moment Ser Alliser Thorne hesitates to let all of their old enemies through, but finally he gives the order to open the gate. Thousands of wildlings come through the Wall to Castle Black itself, including many women and children, and even the giant Wun Wun. Many men of the Night's Watch glare at them. Alliser coolly tells Jon that he has a good heart (to save so many people), but that it may end up getting them all killed . Jon reunites with Samwell Tarly, but is despondent, saying that the mission was a disaster and they only managed to save a small fraction of the wildlings at Hardhome. Sam points to different wildlings passing by and notes that each of them would have died if he had done nothing at all, so it wasn't a complete failure.
In the North
During the night at Stannis Baratheon's army camp, Melisandre gazes intently into the flames of her tent's brazier hoping to receive visions from the Lord of Light. In the distance, several tents burst into flames, sending confused men shouting, and one horse screams as he runs away on fire. During the night, Ramsay Bolton and twenty men raided the camp, burning much of their food supplies and heavy siege weapons. Hundreds of horses also died in the fire. Davos notes that their situation is now dire: they don't have enough food to make the march back to Castle Black or to advance to Winterfell, and without their siege weapons they have little chance of storming the castle to take its food supplies anyway. Stannis asks how this could happen and Davos insists that the Boltons know the North's terrain better than they do so it was easy for a raiding party to sneak into camp. Stannis suggests that the watchmen were either collaborating with the enemy or simply not attentive enough at their posts to allow such a disaster - either way he orders them to be executed. Stannis says to slaughter the dead horses for their meat, which should at least buy them a little time. Stannis's demeanor becomes grave and half-stunned, as he believes there is only one course of action to take. He starts by ordering Davos to return to Castle Black to ask for more supplies from Jon Snow. Davos is confused given that even if Jon did decide to resupply them the provisions probably wouldn't reach them in time, and wonders why Stannis would send him instead of just a messenger. Stannis insists that it is because he needs his Hand of the King to engage in diplomacy to win Jon over - but in reality, Stannis sends Davos away so he wouldn't be around to stop what Stannis was planning on doing next. Davos visits the tent of Stannis's daughter Shireen Baratheon to say goodbye. She is enjoying reading a book by Grand Maester Munkun about the Dance of the Dragons, a major civil war in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. They share a laugh about how a knight tried to kill the dragon Vhagar by sneaking up on it with a mirrored shield, but it didn't fool the dragon, who promptly roasted the knight. Davos gives her a wooden stag figurine he has been carving as a present. She asks why he has been so nice to her, and he explains that he felt bad that his son Matthos always insisted that his father learn to read and he never did. Matthos died in the war, and by teaching Davos to read Shireen helped him fulfill his son's wish. Some time after Davos leaves, Stannis himself visits Shireen, visibly shaken but trying to speak to her kindly. He asks about her reading, and she explains that "The Dance of the Dragons" was a great civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon, each of whom thought they deserved to sit on the Iron Throne. The great lords of the Seven Kingdoms each declared for one or the other, dividing the realm in half, and tearing Westeros apart. Brother fought brother and dragon fought dragon in the devastating war. It was a disaster for House Targaryen as well, who never truly recovered. Stannis asks who she would have chosen, Rhaenyra or Aegon, and she says she wouldn't have chosen either - it was all of the choosing sides that plunged Westeros into civil war. Stannis gravely responds that sometimes the world forces a man to choose even if he doesn't want to, but if he stays true to himself he knows what he must do, and then it isn't really a choice at all - even if he hates doing it. Shireen says it's all right and she wants to help him, though he responds that she doesn't even know what he wants. She doesn't care and asks if there is any way she can help, and he says that there is. Shireen insists that she wants to, because she is Princess Shireen of House Baratheon, his daughter. They hug and he embraces her tightly and Stannis whispers "forgive me". Later, Shireen exits her tent as well and sees all of the soldiers gathered around, and asks where her father is. Coming to the front of the assembly, she sees Melisandre in front of a wooden pyre with a large stake in the middle. She starts shouting to see her father, but is grabbed by soldiers who drag her to the pyre and tie her to the stake. Melisandre soothingly tries to calm her by saying that it will all be over soon. Shireen's cries ring out through the camp, but no one intervenes. Stannis and Shireen's mother Selyse then appear in the crowd. Shireen sees them and begs her mother and father to help, but they do nothing. Selyse insists aloud to herself that the sacrifice is what the Lord of Light wants. Melisandre begins praying and announces that they offer up the life of this girl to the Lord of Light, and sets the pyre on fire. As she explained to Stannis before, she believes that sacrificing Shireen's life - which contains the power of a king's blood - will gain the Lord of Light's favor, who in return will aid them in their time of need by lifting the blizzard. Stannis believes that if they do nothing, they will remain snowbound and all starve to death here. Shireen continues to repeatedly cry "Mother, please!" and "Father, please!" - eventually even Selyse, who only had a cold and non-existent relationship with her daughter, suddenly breaks and rushes forward, begging that they can't go through with it. Soldiers restrain her, however, and she sinks to the ground crying in despair. Shireen's cries become even more frightened, but Stannis continues to watch even as Selyse sobs on the ground. As the flames begin to consume Shireen she wordlessly screams in pain and fear, and eventually even Stannis cannot bear to look anymore as she burns to death.
In the Water Gardens
Jaime Lannister is escorted into the main apartments of the Water Gardens by Areo Hotah, to be received by Prince Doran Martell in a luxurious solar, along with Ellaria Sand, Doran's son Trystane Martell, and Jaime's "niece" Myrcella Baratheon. They lounge on a circle of couches, Myrcella cuddling with Trystane. Jaime notes that Myrcella is wearing a revealing Dornish-style dress now, and she says that the warm climate of Dorne agrees with her. Coming to the point, Doran asks Jaime why he has snuck in to Dorne to abduct Myrcella back to King's Landing. He says he feared for her safety, but when Doran insists why he didn't just send a letter by messenger-raven, he explains that they received a threatening message: Myrcella's Lannister lion pendant jammed in the mouth of dead viper. Doran glares at Ellaria, while a confused Myrcella explains that her pendant was simply stolen from her room. Jaime asks if Doran intends to behead him, but (acting more sympathetic now that Jaime revealed he was threatened first) he says that he will not, because he wishes to avoid war. Doran has seen what war can do, bodies piled on the battlefield and orphans left starving in cities at home, and he will not lead his people into that. Ellaria bluntly asks what he will do, break bread with the Lannisters? However he says that is precisely what he will do, as wine is poured for Jaime, and he raises his own goblet and offers a toast to King Tommen, First of His Name, long may he reign. Jaime returns the toast but Ellaria deliberately pours out her wine onto the floor in disgust. Doran asks if Tommen indeed commands that his sister be returned to the capital, and Jaime politely says he does, to which Doran says he cannot disobey his king - Myrcella will return to King's Landing. She is upset for a moment, but then Doran explains his solution: his son Trystane will go along with them, to take over the seat on the Small Council which Tywin granted to Oberyn, but which was vacated by his death. Doran insists that for the alliance between the Iron Throne and Dorne to continue, the engagement of Trystane and Myrcella must stand, and Trystane will simply take his uncle Oberyn's place on the Small Council. Jaime finds Doran's request entirely reasonable, and Myrcella is ecstatic that she will not be separated from Trystane, so Jaime agrees. Ellaria gets up to leave and snaps that it is no wonder that Doran cannot stand, because he has no spine. As she walks out he grabs her by the arm and lowers his voice, saying that she is the mother of four of his nieces and for their sake he hopes she has a long and happy life but if she talks to him that way again, she will not. Jaime then asks what fate will befall Bronn, who is still imprisoned. Bronn punched out Trystane when they tried to take Myrcella, and Jaime is asked what the normal punishment is for striking a prince where he is from. Jaime politely insists that Bronn was only following orders and they can't punish him for simply following Jaime's commands. Trystane agrees, saying he has learned the value of mercy from his father, but that he has one "condition". In the prison cells, Nymeria and Tyene Sand spar out of boredom, as Obara tries to ignore them and get some sleep. The guards arrive and release Bronn, and Tyene mocks him as he leaves. Areo leads Bronn back to the solar where Doran, Jaime, and the rest remain. Bronn apologizes to Trystane when he sees him and says he didn't mean anything by hitting him before. Jaime then gladly informs Bronn that the Martells agreed to let Bronn go with Jaime, but on one condition: wordlessly, Areo then delivers it by striking Bronn in the face with his elbow, so hard that Bronn is knocked to the floor, as a payback for hitting Trystane. Later, in the courtyard, Areo brings Ellaria and the Sand Snakes before Prince Doran in his wheelchair. Doran gives Ellaria an ultimatum: she can either choose to swear allegiance to him (and that she will not try something like this again), or she can choose death. Restraining tears, she kneels and kisses his hand. Doran says that he believes in second chances and she is forgiven - but sternly warns her that he does not believe in third chances. Ellaria then finds Jaime in a study writing a letter back to King's Landing informing of his return. He writes very poorly, given that he is using his non-dominant left hand, and Ellaria remarks that he writes like a seven year old. Ellaria notes how odd it is that she and Oberyn were looked down on for their sexuality in King's Landing, and Jaime is scorned for his incestuous love for Cersei - to which he remains silent and gives no acknowledgement - though a hundred years ago, if his name were Targaryen, no one would have blinked an eye at such a relationship. Cryptically (perhaps spurred by Doran), she then says that she knows "your daughter" Myrcella had no part in what befell Oberyn, and maybe even Jaime is innocent of that (and indeed he is, as Oberyn volunteered for the trial by combat). She exits, and Jaime is left to ponder what seems to be her apology.
Firsts
•Brusco •Braavosi madam •Brea •Anara •Aya •Aberdolf Strongbeard
Deaths
•Shireen Baratheon •Hizdahr zo Loraq •Fighting pit announcer
Starring
•Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister •Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister •Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen •Kit Harington as Lord Commander Jon Snow •Stephen Dillane as King Stannis Baratheon •Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth •Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre •Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand •Maisie Williams as Arya Stark •Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn •John Bradley as Samwell Tarly •Kristofer Hivju as Tormund •Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar •Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis •Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei •with Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
Guest starring
•Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne •Tara Fitzgerald as Queen Selyse Baratheon •Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris •Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell •DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah •Joel Fry as Hizdahr zo Loraq •Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant •Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Mace Tyrell •Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett •Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand •Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand •Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand •Nell Tiger Free as Princess Myrcella Baratheon •Toby Sebastian as Prince Trystane Martell •Kerry Ingram as Princess Shireen Baratheon •Brenock O'Connor as Olly •Ian Whyte as Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun •Nicholas Boulton as Fighting pit announcer •Oengus MacNamara as the thin man •Lacy Moore as the Braavosi madam •Jack Hickey as a young bravo •Sarine Sofair as Lhara •Karla Lyons as Willa •Ali Lyons as Johnna •Brian Fortune as First Builder Othell Yarwyck •Michael Condron as First Steward Bowen Marsh •Danny O'Connor as a Lannister guard •Garry Mountaine as Brusco •Dylan McDonough as a sailor •Jason McLaughlin as a Baratheon soldier •Ollie Kram as Anara •Gemita Samarra as Brea •Irma Mali as a Braavosi prostitute •Aifric O'Donnell as Aya •Fiach Kunz as a Lannister guard •Michael Johnston as Lannister Guard #3
Uncredited
•Nigel O'Neill as a Baratheon general •Adam Basil as a Strong Fighter •James Bleakney as a Baratheon Soldier •Charles Jarman as a Pit Fighter •Andrew McClay as Stannis soldier •Danko Jordanov as Wilding gladiator •Graeme Peacock as a Baratheon Soldier •Mark Quigley as a Baratheon Soldier •Jessica Stevenson as a Wildling •Michael Stuart as a Night's Watch Officer •Derek Dubery as Brothel Patron #5 •Mariola Sanz as Meereen Spectator
Alliser Thorne: "You have a good heart, Jon Snow. It'll get us all killed."
Doran Martell: "Many in Dorne want war but I've seen war. I've seen the bodies piled on the battlefields. I've seen the orphans starving in the cities. I don't want to lead my people into that Hell."
Ellaria Sand: "No, you want to break bread with the Lannisters."
Doran Martell: "And that is precisely what we're doing. Let us drink to Tommen, the First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms!" [They all drink except Ellaria, who deliberately tilts her cup over, spilling wine over the floor.] "King Tommen insists on his sister's return to the Capital."
Jaime Lannister: "I'm afraid he does."
Doran Martell: "I cannot disobey my King's command. She will return with you to King's Landing and my son, Prince Trystane, will accompany you both. If the alliance between Dorne and the Iron Throne is to continue their engagement must stand."
•This episode takes its title from the fifth and most recent novel of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance with Dragons.
•Like the book title, however, it may be a nod towards the Dance of the Dragons, which was the name given to the civil war between two rival branches of House Targaryen after the death of King Viserys I. Despite this event occurring prior to the events of the series, it may refer to the near-civil war ongoing in Meereen, between Daenerys and the Sons of the Harpy.
•The soundtrack playing over the credits is a rendition of Daenerys's theme, the Dragon flightattack motifand the dragon flight motif. In the official soundtrack release it is titled "Blood of the Dragon."
•The scenes at the Great Pit of Daznak in Meereen were filmed in Osuna, Spain, at the Plaza de Toros, which has real sandstone walls and is over a century old. Controversially, it is an actively used bullfighting ring: annual events are held at the Plaza de Toros which end with bulls actually being killed in the arena (though "sometimes the bull wins").
•The entire sequence in the coliseum took 12 days to shoot, and involved 1,000 extras (who were then digitally doubled up to make an even larger crowd).
•Notice once again that not every harpy statue in Meereen could be torn down, because many of them were large load-bearing statues, but Daenerys had her soldiers deface such statues. A large harpy statue supports the outer wall of the Great Pit of Daznak, and it has its face smashed.
•The episode is adapted from the following chapter of A Storm of Swords:
•Chapter 72, Jaime IX: Jaime's poor handwriting is criticized.
•The episode is adapted from the following chapter of A Feast for Crows:
•Chapter 40, The Princess in the Tower: Prince Doran releases the mastermind behind the plot to start a war between Dorne and the Iron Throne, though she is furious and remains defiant.
•The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
•Chapter 7, Jon I: Stannis offers the Night's Watch support to man the nineteen castles along the Wall.
Jun 8, 2015 · Princess Shireen the Sweet and Innocent (Kerry Ingram) is in her tent reading a story called “The Dance of Dragons.”. Davos gives her a present of a hand-carved stag, the sigil of House Baratheon. If only it could act as a talisman of protection.
Spoilers for Game of Thrones episode The Dance of Dragons follow: Perhaps on some level, this was always destined to be an odd penultimate hour for Game of Thrones‘ fifth...
Jun 1, 2015 · Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 9 Recap: The Dance of Dragons. Ramsay Bolton and his twenty men caused quite a bit of damage to Stannis' camp. Unable to return to Castle Black or...
Apr 9, 2019 · “The Dance of Dragons” is a dynamic and devastating hour. Next, we find ourselves in the most troubling and disturbing plotline of the hour, with Stannis’ camp being broken by Ramsey Bolton’s carefully planned attack.
People also ask
Will there be a 'dance of Dragons' episode in game of Thrones?
Will Daenerys Targaryen & Tyrion Lannister be in 'the dance of Dragons' season 5?
When is game of Thrones Season 5 on HBO?
Who wrote 'the dance of Dragons'?
Jun 8, 2015 · Game of Thrones: The Dance of Dragons Review. In the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones Season 5 dragons really do dance. But that's not the most searing...
