The Kingsroad

"The Kingsroad"
Game of Thrones episode
Sansa and her direwolf, Lady, play an important part in the episode.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 2
Directed by	Tim Van Patten
Written by	David Benioff D. B. Weiss
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Alik Sakharov
Editing by	Oral Norrie Ottey
Original air date	April 24, 2011 (2011-04-24)
Running time	55 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel Ron Donachie as Rodrik Cassel Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark Roxanne McKee as Doreah Dar Salim as Qotho Amrita Acharia as Irri Sarita Piotrowski as Jhiqui Wilko Johnson as Ilyn Payne Rhodri Hosking as Mycah Luke McEwan as Rast Lalor Roddy as the Assassin Callum Wharry as Tommen Baratheon Aimee Richardson as Myrcella Baratheon
Episode chronology
← Previous "Winter Is Coming" Next → "Lord Snow"
Game of Thrones (season 1) List of Game of Thrones episodes

"The Kingsroad" is the second episode of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, first aired on April 24, 2011. It was written by the show creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Tim Van Patten.

Nearly all the action of the episode happens during travel: Eddard Stark and his daughters accompany the king's entourage to King's Landing to occupy the post of Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister joins Jon in his travel to the Wall, and the newly wed Daenerys goes with her husband's khalasar to the city of Vaes Dothrak. Meanwhile in Winterfell a grieving Catelyn Stark watches over her unconscious son Bran.

Viewing figures were unchanged from the premiere, despite the second episode airing on Easter Sunday. Critical reception to the episode was favorable. Filming locations included several notable Northern Ireland locations, and the filming itself was complicated by the difficulty of integrating canine actors into several crucial scenes. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 2.2 million in its initial broadcast.

On their way to Vaes Dothrak with Drogo's khalasar, Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) reveals to Viserys (Harry Lloyd) that he was exiled for selling poachers to slavers. Viserys assures Jorah that he would not have been punished if Viserys had been the king and demonstrates impatience for Drogo (Jason Momoa) to lend Viserys his army.

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) has difficulty adjusting to her new marriage and the nomadic lifestyle of her adopted people. Her only comfort is the three petrified dragon eggs given to her by Illyrio. She is visibly distraught and in pain during intimate relations with the Khal. In order to feel more in control of her marital life, she asks one of her handmaidens, former courtesan Doreah (Roxanne McKee), to teach her how to please her new husband.