The Old Gods and the New

"The Old Gods and the New"
Game of Thrones episode
Jon Snow cannot bring himself to behead the wildling Ygritte.
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 6
Directed by	David Nutter
Written by	Vanessa Taylor
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Martin Kenzie
Editing by	Oral Norrie Ottey
Original air date	May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)
Running time	54 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin Ron Donachie as Rodrik Cassel Natalia Tena as Osha Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos Nicholas Blane as the Spice King Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar Rose Leslie as Ygritte Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth Oona Chaplin as Talisa Simon Armstrong as Qhorin Halfhand Ralph Ineson as Dagmer Cleftjaw Ian Beattie as Meryn Trant Fintan McKeown as Amory Lorch Forbes KB as Black Lorren Amrita Acharia as Irri Kristian Nairn as Hodor Steven Cole as Kovarro Aimee Richardson as Myrcella Baratheon Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark Callum Wharry as Tommen Baratheon
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Ghost of Harrenhal" Next → "A Man Without Honor"
Game of Thrones (season 2) List of Game of Thrones episodes

"The Old Gods and the New" is the sixth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The episode is written by Vanessa Taylor and directed by David Nutter, his directorial debut for the series.

The episode's title refers to both the "Old Gods" of the North, and the "New Gods," the prevalent religion in the rest of Westeros.

This episode won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic).

Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) has taken Winterfell following his prior gambit at Torrhen's Square. Declaring himself prince and Lord of Winterfell, Theon convinces the current lord, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), to yield after promising not to harm the castle's inhabitants. However, when Ser Rodrik Cassel (Ron Donachie) is captured outside of Winterfell and brought to Theon, the knight contemptuously spits on him, and Dagmer Cleftjaw suggests that Theon personally execute Ser Rodrik to save face in front of his men. Theon does so, but is unable to execute him with one blow, and has to repeatedly hack at him to decapitate him. Later, the wildling servant Osha (Natalia Tena) seduces Theon, offering herself in exchange for her freedom; unbeknownst to Theon, Osha's seduction is a ruse to allow her and Hodor (Kristian Nairn) to spirit Bran and Rickon (Art Parkinson) safely out of Winterfell.

Robb Stark (Richard Madden) again encounters the field nurse Talisa (Oona Chaplin). As they talk flirtatiously with one another, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) arrives at the camp. Discovering that the nurse is Lady Talisa Maegyr from the Free City of Volantis, and sensing Robb's attraction to her, Catelyn firmly reminds her son that he is not at liberty to pursue romance: in return for Lord Walder Frey allowing the Stark armies to cross the Twins, he has promised to marry one of Frey's daughters. The Starks then receive the news of Theon Greyjoy's betrayal and the execution of Ser Rodrik. Furious, Robb declares that he will recapture Winterfell, but Lord Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton) advises Robb that if he marches back to the North now, he will lose what he has gained against the Lannisters. Bolton proposes sending his bastard son with the forces he has left at his stronghold, the Dreadfort, to end the Ironborn occupation of Winterfell. Robb reluctantly agrees, but demands that Theon be captured alive so that Robb may understand Theon's treachery before he personally executes him.