Tyrion's trial continues. They bring on Shae who tells all kinds of humiliating lies. So this is how that didn't end well (I always knew it wouldn't end well). GRRM certainly knows how to spend two-and-a-half novels setting up an enormous massive-sense-of-despair-at-the-injustice-of-it-all scene. Tyrion does a speech about how he didn't poison Joffrey but really he'd like to poison the lot of them, then demands trial by combat. Up steps Oberyn, much to the dismay of Tywin, who clearly didn't see that coming. Hah!
The day of the combat arrives. Oberyn tells Tyrion the whole visit to Kings Landing back in the day was all about getting Elia married off. She was going to marry a perfectly ordinary knight, but he farted. Tyrion, appropriately, "wondered how many lives had been snuffed out by that fart." So then Elia's mother tried to get her married to Jaime and Tywin offered Tyrion instead. For which slight, she managed to get Elia married to Rheagar. And by now we know how that worked out (everybody died).
Oberyn goes up against GREGOR with a spear. He is brother to a murdered sister; uncle to a murdered niece and nephew, and he will have his vengeance, in this life or one of the seven hells. It goes pretty well, with Oberyn avoiding GREGOR SMASH while singing "I know a song that'll get on your nerves" until GREGOR finally gets mad and falls over. Oberyn pole vaults his spear through GREGOR and GREGOR is all but dead. But Oberyn clearly hasn't watched enough action movies. He gets too close to GREGOR while delivering his victory speech, and GREGOR crushes his skull.
So despite saving King's Landing at least twice, Tyrion is now totally screwed. It's going to take a miracle to get out of this situation.
