Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Jon Snow is brought before Mance Rayder and must explain why he would abandon the Night's Watch. He says that seeing Craster sacrifice his sons, while Mormont knew about it, made him want to fight for the living instead. Mance accepts him into the wildling ranks. Elsewhere beyond the Wall, Ghost and Mormont save Sam from an attacker. Mormont rebukes Sam for failing to send the warning ravens and orders the surviving Watchmen to retreat. Davos survives the Blackwater defeat on a rocky island until Salladhor Saan rescues him. He returns to Dragonstone, attacks Melisandre and is imprisoned by Stannis.
In King's Landing, Tyrion asks Tywin for Casterly Rock as his inheritance, but his father rejects him and belittles his contribution to defending the city. Margaery visits an orphanage while Joffrey stays outside, and Cersei watches her growing influence with suspicion. Baelish offers Sansa a way out of the capital, while Ros warns Shae to protect her. Robb reaches Harrenhal and finds slaughtered prisoners, with Qyburn still alive among them. In Astapor, Daenerys considers buying the Unsullied and hears how brutally the soldiers are trained. A girl approaches her with a concealed scorpion-like creature. Barristan Selmy intervenes, stops the assassination attempt and reveals himself, offering to serve the daughter of the king he once protected.