You Win or You Die

"**You Win or You Die**"
"You Win or You Die"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 7
Directed by	Daniel Minahan
Written by	David Benioff; D. B. Weiss;
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Matthew Jensen
Editing by	Martin Nicholson
Original air date	May 29, 2011
Running time	57 minutes
Guest appearances
	Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin; Conleth Hill as Varys; James Cosmo as Ser Jeor Mormont; Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne; Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister; Ian McElhinney as Ser Barristan Selmy; John Bradley as Samwell Tarly; Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon; Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle; Gethin Anthony as Renly Baratheon; Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt; Natalia Tena as Osha; Esmé Bianco as Ros; Mark Stanley as Grenn; Josef Altin as Pyp; Luke McEwan as Rast; Amrita Acharia as Irri; Roxanne McKee as Doreah; Elyes Gabel as Rakharo; Dar Salim as Qotho; Robert Sterne as Royal Steward; Simon Lowe as Wineseller; Sahara Knite as Armeca; Graham Charles as Varly; Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck; Jeffrey O'Brien as Jaremy Rykker; Dennis McKeever as Night's Watch officer; Phil Dixon as Tomard; Tristan Mercieca as a little bird; Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "A Golden Crown"	Next →; "The Pointy End"
	Game of Thrones season 1
	List of episodes

"You Win or You Die" is the seventh episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. It was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan. It first aired on May 29, 2011, and was released in advance immediately following the conclusion of "A Golden Crown" to HBO customers with access to HBO Go.

The episode furthers the story line of deterioration of the political balance of the Seven Kingdoms, with Eddard Stark revealing what he has discovered to Cersei Lannister while King Robert is still away on a hunt. The title of the episode is part of a quote from Cersei Lannister during the final confrontation with Eddard: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." The catchphrase has been frequently used during the promotion of both the books and the television series.^[1]

The episode was generally well received by critics for its well-acted dramatic tension, but with several criticizing the coupling of exposition and nudity as "sexposition". In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 2.4 million in its initial broadcast.

This episode marks the first appearance of Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister, as well as the final appearance of Mark Addy (King Robert Baratheon).

^ Schwartz, Terri. "'Game Of Thrones' First Official Poster Reminds You That In War, You Win Or You Die". MTV Movies Blog. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.

[1] Schwartz, Terri. "'Game Of Thrones' First Official Poster Reminds You That In War, You Win Or You Die". MTV Movies Blog. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.

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