(As always, please do not read this if you are not caught up with the television series of Game of Thrones as it may have some spoilers. As always, contest wins are decided by random.org, nominations are decided by how I believe characters would react, and votes are decided by you. Please comment at the end, and if you wish to be message when episode 5 comes out.)
”Tyrion and Jamie, I have nominated the two of you.” Catelyn says. “I know one of you is responsible for pushing Bran out the window and crippling him, but I do not know which, therefore I’ll nominate you both and assume the Gods to be just. With that, the nomination ceremony is over.”
Immediately Cersei rushes over to comfort Jamie. Tyrion looks around the room, waiting for someone to do the same with him, but nobody does. He sees Catelyn heading upstairs for her HOH room, so Tyrion decides to follow her so he can speak with her alone.
“A surprising nomination, at least with one of your choices.” Tyrion says.
“I did not choose my nominations based on strategy, I based them on simple facts. One of you crippled my son.” Catelyn fires back.
“And you honestly believe that it was me?” Tyrion asks. “The only thing my brother Jamie does is kill, do this really strike as out of his comfort zone?”
“You’re blade was found in the hands of the assassin who tried to kill my son!” Catelyn shouts.
“What kind of idiot arms an assassin with their own blade?” Tyrion asks.
“Shut up!” Catelyn shouts.
“Why? Am I starting to make sense?” Tyrion asks sharply.
“I wish I could believe you, but I tend not to listen to anything a Lannister has to say. I’ve found this to be quite helpful to me.” Catelyn says. Tyrion sees there is nothing he can say at this point to reason with her, so he just leaves.
Gendry talks in the diary room about his fellow competitors. “I could not have been stuck with a larger group of nut cases than I find in this house. There are the Lannister’s and Stark’s who always on the verge of killing each other. Then there is Melisandre, a religious nut job with only Stannis as her follower. Plus Arya, always with a cold look in her eyes, never sleeping, only repeating the same few names: Cersei; Joffery; The Hound. I’m starting to think the only reason I’ve been invited to enter this house is to add some level of normalcy to this house.”
Melisandre, Stannis Baratheon, and Davos Seaworth group together in their bedroom.
“We need help to win this game.” Stannis says. “We are outnumbered on both sides.”
“The Lord of Light will guide us.” Melisandre replies.
“I mean no disrespect, but we do not need the Lord of Light.” Davos replies. “What we need is a plan to ensure the Lannisters and Starks continue to pick off each other, leaving only us at the end.”
“I’m listening.” Stannis replies.
“I don’t have a plan just yet. But give me time, and I will.” Davos says.
“We do not need more time. What we need is king’s blood.” Melisandre replies.
“King’s blood?” Stannis asks.
“There is great power in king’s blood.” Melisandre replies.
“Fine, than take mine. I am the rightful king!” Stannis says loudly.
“I cannot. You are too weak. You would die.” Melisandre says. “There are others, however, with your blood running through them.” Stannis smiles.
“What are you going to do?” Davos asks.
“A demonstration.” Melisandre replies.
Gendry returns to his room to see Melisandre waiting for him. Melisandre begins making out with Gendry, then tosses him on his bed. Although Gendry doesn’t trust Melisandre, or even like her, there is no way he is stopping her. Melisandre takes off Gendry’s shirt, then ties his hands to the bed frame. “What are you doing?” Gendry asks. As he does, Stannis and Davos enter the room. Melisandre grabs two leeches, and places them on Gendry’s chest. “Please, don’t. No!” Gendry shouts.
“Melisandre, we do not allow houseguests tying up other houseguests to place leeches on them!” Big brother’s produce Allison Grodner says through the speakers.
“That’s rather specific.” Davos says.
Melisandre removes the two leaches from Gendry’s chest, and then unties him. She places the two leaches in a chalice, and then begins to walk over to Stannis. Stannis lights a flame in a pit by the foot of the bed. Melisandre passes the chalice to Stannis, and he grabs the two leeches and throws them in the fires, stating two fellow houseguest’s names: The false king Joffery Baratheon; and Robb Stark.”
The Starks, Jon Snow, Theon Greyjoy, Brienne of Tarth, Talisa, and Roose Bolton convene in a separate room. Talisa sits next to Robb Stark, which both Catelyn and Roose quickly notice.
“We must choose whose side we fight for.” Eddard Stark states.
“You don’t know who you would choose as king if your side should win?” Talisa asks.
“I know who I would choose.” Robb says, quickly looking at his father.
“I do not wish to become king.” Eddard says. “I will not become king.”
“But we cannot let someone outside this room gain such a power.” Jon replies.
There is a long silence before Theon speaks up. “There are only two men I follow. If Eddard does not wish to be king, then Robb is the only man I bend my knee to. They can keep their red castle and their iron chair too. My sword is yours, in victory and defeat, from this day, until my last day. The king in the north!” He shouts.
Robb immediately stands. Jon stands, then kneels before his half brother. “The king in the north!” He shouts.
Everyone in the room begins to chant along with Jon and Theon. “The king in the north! The king in the north! The king in the north!”
Daenerys walks into the diary room and sees an envelope waiting for her. She opens it and reads the message aloud. “Congratulations, by overwhelming majority you are this week’s BB MVP. How you use this power, and who you tell is up to you.” Daenerys says. “Thank you Westeros. It is so rewarding to feel the backing of everyone watching. I may not have allies in this house, but it is good to know I have them when I get out.”
Hours Later…
Daenerys approaches Lord Varys in private. “Who do you think will get the MVP this week?” Daenerys asks.
“Well, I see a few candidates. The Starks are a likeable bunch, but their game play is not the smartest. The Lannister’s are very smart; however there isn’t a man in Westeros rooting for Joffery as their king. So my guess is neither of the two sides won the MVP. A smart pick would be to choose me, as I am one of the few who doesn’t wish to become king himself, and one of the few who wishes for the best of the country. I, however, did not get chosen, potentially from citizens simply incapable of trusting a Eunuch. If I had to guess, I would say Westeros chose you. I was wrong about you. You have a gentle heart, and Westeros will see that.” Lord Varys replies.
Daenerys pauses for a moment. “You are right.” Daenerys replies.
“And I assume you aren’t nominating me this week, otherwise you would not tell me, so who are you targeting?” Lord Varys asks.
“I know I want a big target out, but I am torn. Do I strike the brains or the face of the Lannister’s?” Daenerys asks.
“That is a good question.” Lord Varys says. Lord Varys pauses for a moment. “Nobody would expect the two of us to work together after week one. We could do some serious damage in this house.”
Daenerys smiles, knowing she might finally have her first ally.
The next day…
Catelyn Stark rounds everyone to the living room. “It’s time for the POV competition!” Catelyn shouts. She waits for everyone else to join her before continuing. Tyrion and Jamie join Catelyn at the head of the living room. “Before we choose players for this week’s POV competition, we will see who the MVP nominated this week.” Catelyn says. The screen flashes at the front of the room to a picture of Joffery Baratheon. “Joffery, the MVP has nominated you!” She says, trying to hide her enthusiasm.
“This game is rigged! I will have the producer’s head when I get out of this house!” Joffery shouts.
“You won’t be king when you leave this house.” Arya says, staring Joffery dead in the eyes, showing no emotion herself. “You will be lucky to keep your own head.”
“Melisandre, you will play in this week’s POV competition.” Catelyn says, pulling her name from the bag, trying to change the subject before the houseguests get out of control. Catelyn pulls the second name. “Lord Varys, you will also play. I must also choose a host for this week’s competition, and I choose Sansa.”
Lord Varys and Daenerys talk in private. “If I win POV, and I remove Tyrion from the block, Catelyn will be forced to nominate either Cersei or Tywin in his place, ensuring a huge threat goes home no matter which houseguest it is.” Lord Varys replies.
“He would be so appreciative, that if he won HOH next week we would both be safe.” Daenerys adds.
“We would just need to get Catelyn on board, but we can find a way.” Lord Varys replies.
Tyrion talks in the diary room before the competition starts. “I need to win this contest this week. I will be giving it everything I have; I just have to hope it is either a mental competition, or a wine drinking competition.”
Jamie talks in the diary room before the start of the POV competition. “I am not worried about the vote, as I don’t intend to still be nominated. The Starks do not know what they just started.”
Joffery talks in the diary room next. “I am the king, I will win! Even if I do stay up, I know you citizens of Westeros will evict my little monster of an uncle, Tyrion.”
The houseguests all go outside to see their POV competition. The six contenders and Sansa walks to the competition while the rest of the houseguest head to the bench to watch. The competition is a puzzle, with the completed picture to be the iron throne, with the words Game of Thrones across the top. The catch to the competition, though, is every puzzle piece is fifty feet away, and the only way to get to them is for the contestants to swing their way across on a rope swing.
“Houseguests, this competition is called Swinging for Power, and here’s how it works: First, you must all swing across with your rope to the other side to reach your puzzle piece; then, you must swing your way back to carry it back to your board on the other side. You may carry only one piece at a time across the swing, but you may place your pieces on your board at any time. If you fall off your swing, or you drop a puzzle piece, you will be automatically eliminated from the challenge. The first contestant to solve his or her puzzle will win this week’s POV.” Sansa says, reading from a card. “Everyone ready?” Everyone shouts back they are. “Houseguests, get swinging!”
Jamie is the first across his swing, and he quickly grabs a puzzle piece. He swings back, throwing the piece on the ground in front of his board, instead of trying to solve his puzzle. He plans to gather all his pieces first, and then look to see where they fit. He hurries back to grab his second piece.
Lord Varys is in second place at the moment. He isn’t able to keep up to Jamie physically, but he knows he will be able to catch up on the mental aspect. He places he puzzle pieces on the board, and will move them accordingly if he learns they are in the wrong spot.
Tyrion struggles on the swing. His size makes it very difficult for him to get a good hold of the rope. He does not worry too much about his speed on the ropes, but on his way back with his third puzzle piece he slips, falling to the padding set up below.
“Tyrion, you fell off your rope. You are eliminated from this competition.” Sansa says.
“Dammit!” Tyrion shouts, knowing he needed to win.
“Jamie is in the lead with eight of his twenty puzzle pieces. Lord Varys and Melisandre are tied in second with six pieces each. Joffery and Catelyn are quickly falling out of contention with four and three pieces respectively.” Sansa says.
Jamie knows he is in the lead, and knows he just needs to maintain at this point. As long as he doesn’t make any mistakes he will win. Lord Varys knows he will have an opportunity to catch up. He goes as fast as he safely can, but he doesn’t rush, risking getting himself eliminated. Melisandre too knows she can easily come from behind, though her motivation to win isn’t as strong as the rest in this competition.
Jamie hits his grove, and speeds up even faster than he was going before. Nine pieces, ten pieces, eleven. He now has more than half his pieces, and is quickly lapping the other competitors on his swings.
Joffery has begun to speed his swings, but takes and awkward leap, and now finds himself stuck, with the rope stationary, trapped without either side close enough to jump to. Some contestants begin to laugh, but Joffery rocks his body back and forth to get his swing moving again. He wastes a lot of time and energy, but he is still in the competition.
“Jamie, you are only one piece away!” Sansa says. “Lord Varys, you are in second with fourteen pieces. Melisandre, you are in third with twelve.”
Jamie grabs his final piece and swings back to his board. He now has all his pieces together, and just has to solve the puzzle.
Lord Varys is now five pieces away, but his puzzle is half solved already, and he knows he is stronger at puzzles than Jamie.
Jamie stares at the board confused. He picks up one piece, but has no idea where it goes.
Lord Varys returns with his sixteenth piece. He pauses for a moment, and then places it where he believes it goes. He swings back to grab his next piece.
Jamie still hasn’t placed a single piece on his board. Cersei can see he is stumped. “Look at his board!” She shouts to Jamie, referring to Lord Varys. Jamie listens, and looks at the nearly completed board, and begins to copy. He grabs a few pieces and places them according to where Lord Varys has them. Once he has a few pieces up, he finds the remaining pieces are much easier to place.
Lord Varys returns again with his seventeen piece then his eighteenth piece. He sees Jamie making quick work of his board, and knows the competition will end very close.
Jamie places his remaining few pieces on the board and they fit. He quickly swings back to hit his buzzer as Lord Varys swings back with his nineteenth piece.
“Congratulation Jamie, you’ve won the POV!” Sansa shouts.
A few hours later…
Jamie and Cersei celebrate Jamie’s win the best way they know how, until their son, Joffery, walks in on them. “Mother!” Joffery shouts, seeing his mom and her brother in bed together.
“Joffery, wait!” Cersei shouts as Joffery begins to run away. Jamie starts to laugh a little. “This is funny to you?”
Tyrion sees Joffery sprinting from the house’s bedroom. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Tyrion asks.
“Jamie and Cersei…” Joffery begins, but he cannot put together the rest of the sentence.
“Ah, so the honorable Ned Stark was telling the truth.” Tyrion replies. “It appears you no longer have any more claim to the throne than I do.”
“What are you talking about?” Joffery asks.
“Think about it Joffery, think about it.” Tyrion says. He begins to walk away whistling.
Tywin Lannister visits Catelyn Stark in her HOH room. “We must assume my son will remove himself from the block this week.” Tywin says. “Do you know who your replacement will be?”
“I am open to ideas.” Catelyn replies.
“Well, assuming you still want either Tyrion of Joffery out this week, than nominate someone who would be popular in the eyes of the viewers. Someone not from your side, and has no realistic chance of going home this week.” Tywin says.
“And who would that be?” Catelyn asks.
“Either Daenerys or Davos Seaworth.” Tywin replies. “Neither would be voted out, and this would ensure the eviction of one of the two current nominations.”
“And why would you tell me this?” Catelyn asks.
“Why do you think?” Tywin replies sternly, before getting up and leaving.
Jamie enters the HOH room to speak with Catelyn. By this point, everyone in the house has heard about Jamie and Cersei together. “I assume you will be using the POV.” Catelyn says.
“Yes, of course.” Jamie replies. “I’m not as slow as people perceive.”
“If you were me, who would you nominate?” Catelyn asks.
“That would depend on your reasons for targeting those you wish to target.” Jamie says.
“I’ve already explained my reasons.” Catelyn fires back quickly.
Jamie pauses. “I pushed Bran from the window.” He admits.
“Why?” Catelyn asks, confused and saddened at the same instant.
Jamie pauses again. “He was in my way.”
Catelyn talks in the diary room. “This replacement nominee will be very difficult this week. I have so many choices, that I still don’t know what I am going to do. Should I still target Tyrion or Joffery, even though I’ve learned Tyrion is innocent? I can nominate a likeable player to seal the current nominee’s fates. I can nominate Tywin, and ensure one of three powerhouses go home. Or I can nominate Cersei, and strike down Jamie the only way I can at this point. So many choices.” Catelyn says.
Jamie gathers everyone. “Houseguests, it’s time for the veto meeting.” Jamie says.
All twenty-four houseguests gather to the living room, Jamie, Tyrion, and Joffery sitting in the nominee’s couch. “This week I won the POV, giving me the right to veto one of the three nominees. This is an easy choice as I must watch out for myself. With that being said, I choose to use the power of veto on myself. Catelyn, as head of household you must choose my replacement.” Jamie says.
Catelyn stands up. “This has been a difficult week. There are so many different options, but I must nominate you Cersei.”
Cersei nods, then switches places with Jamie.
“With that, the veto meeting is over.” Jamie says.
Catelyn talks in the diary room about why she chose Cersei. “Cersei might not be as powerful as Tywin, but she still has a lot of pull in the house. If I cannot get out Jamie this week, then I will try to do the next best thing and get out his sister and lover.” Catelyn says.
Westeros, it’s time for your vote. Who do you want to see evicted this week; Tyrion, Joffery, or Cersei? Next episode, find out who is evicted. Then, the houseguests will battle it out again for HOH. Who will the new HOH choose as his or her nominees, and how will the swing of power affect the game? Find out next time, on Big Brother Westeros!
