'Game of Thrones' recap: How did the shocking new episode end?

'Game of Thrones,' recently aired a surprising new episode. In the newest installment, a deadly trial by combat took place, while Emilia Clarke's character Daenerys Targaryen received some surprising news.

Emilia Clarke stars on 'Game of Thrones.'

Keith Bernstein/HBO/AP

June 2, 2014

The newest “Game of Thrones” episode featured a shocking ending as well as one of the more gruesome deaths ever seen on the HBO drama.

To start with those last suspense-filled few minutes: the end of the episode focused on the trial by combat that would determine the fate of Tyrion Lannister, a fan-favorite character who was uncle to teenage king Joffrey. When Tyrion was the last to handle a cup of wine that contained poison, he was arrested and charged with the murder of his nephew. (He seems to be innocent.) He asked for a trial by combat to determine his fate, and a famously brutal knight named Ser Gregor Clegane (also known as The Mountain that Rides) was assigned to fight for the prosecution. A prince of the region of Dorne, Oberyn Martell, volunteered to fight on Tyrion’s behalf to get revenge on The Mountain, the man he blames for the death of his sister and her children.

Oberyn was confident before the bout, refusing to wear heavy armor and having a drink despite Tyrion’s protestations. As the fight began, he told The Mountain that he was determined to make The Mountain confess to his crimes out loud.

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And Oberyn slowly got the upper hand. When The Mountain was on the ground and it looked like he was close to death, Oberyn told him again to confess his crimes. But The Mountain wasn’t wounded as gravely as Oberyn had thought – The Mountain grabbed Oberyn and killed him.

What does this mean for Tyrion? Viewers will have to wait and see.

In another corner of the world of “Thrones,” Daenerys Targaryen, the woman who hopes to rule over the country of Westeros, found out that her trusted advisor, Ser Jorah Mormont, had once spied on her. He stopped long ago when he fell in love with her, but Daenerys was unable to forgive this breach of trust and told him to leave.

Meanwhile, Theon Greyjoy, prince of the family that rules over the Iron Islands, had previously been taken captive by the sadistic Ramsay Snow, an illegitimate son of the powerful Roose Bolton. Ramsay was determined to earn a place as his father’s heir and wanted to capture a fortress called Moat Cailin to impress his father, so he forced Theon to travel there and trick the soldiers holding it, telling them they would be allowed to leave peaceably if they surrendered. Ramsay killed them when the soldiers surrendered and his father named Ramsay as his heir. 

Elsewhere, Sansa Stark, daughter of the formerly powerful family of the North, had been taken to her aunt’s house in the Vale of Arryn by Petyr Baelish, a former advisor to the king. Petyr had married Sansa's aunt, Lysa, and almost immediately murdered her in episode 7, after Lysa threatened Sansa. When the suspicious lords of the Vale questioned Sansa about what really happened, Sansa lied for Baelish, telling them that her aunt killed herself. 

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Unbeknownst to Sansa, her sister Arya, from whom she has been separated, is close by – Arya and the knight bringing her to the Vale, Ser Sandor Clegane, arrived at the entrance to the kingdom currently ruled over by Baelish.

But the biggest question of the show is still what will happen to Tyrion now that his champion has been killed. Will the wily character manage to extract himself from the deadly situation? “Thrones” only has two episodes remaining in its season, so answers will hopefully come soon.