Spoilers for the season six, episode six of Game of Thrones are below.
After last week’s Hodor reveal/death and everything else that came from Bran’s final days under the Weirwood tree with the Three-Eyed Raven (R.I.P.), it felt like we crossed over into new territory.
For a number of years, we were told “Winter is Coming,” but last week, winter arrived just north of the wall, with the Night’s King putting his mark on Bran and kicking off the dead’s march south.
These are exciting times in The Realm.
On the Run in the Woods
Picking up where things left off last week, Meera drags Bran through the woods in an attempt to out-run the flock of undead chasing them. While they flee, Bran continues having visions – of his fateful fall; of The Mad King; of the Night’s King; of fire and destruction. As the young Stark wakes up from warging, he informs Meera that the wights have caught up to them and just before they’re attacked, a mysterious stranger on a horse brandishing a fiery ball and chain flail and a sickle.
Who was this veiled rider that helped Bran and Meera escape? Where is he taking them?
Horn Hill
Guess who’s a real piece of work?
Just as Sam told Gilly, his mother and sister would be welcoming and wonderful, but it’s dear old dad you have to be mindful of and sure enough, as Sam, Gilly and Sam Jr. roll into Horn Hill, mom and sis are terrific, but Pops Tarly is a real treat. Not only does he go in on Sam, his eldest son who doesn’t measure up to his standards of manhood, but he also takes aim at Gilly because she’s a Wildling.
Sam shrinks in his presence and under his verbal barrage, which is so heinous that his mother, sister and Gilly leave the table. Lord Tarly says he’ll employ Gilly in the kitchen and allow Sam Jr. to be raised in his house, but Sam must go, so he says his goodbyes to Gilly and the baby and is off…
Except he’s not because Sam has no interest leaving Gilly and Sam Jr. at Horn Hill, so he collects them and the family sword, a Valyrian steel number called Heartsbane, and rolls out, pledging to keep his little family together.
In the Sept: Tommen chats with the High Sparrow, trying to get him to relent when it comes to Queen Margaery’s “Walk of Shame,” but the old codger says that’s not possible. He does, however, let Tommen see is wife and it seems like Margaery has a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome.
She’s singing the praises of the High Sparrow and The Faith, convincing Tommen that she had to come to tough realizations about herself and that the High Sparrow was a big help in making that happen. Something is off here. Margaery is now in the “Loras needs to atone; we all do” camp. This can’t be good.
Braavos: Arya the Assassin is back in the audience watching the stage production of Game of Thrones. She notices the actress playing Sansa lip-syncing all of Lady Crane’s lines and puts two and two together – she’s the one that requested the hit – but goes about her business nonetheless. After all, she has a job to do and there will not be a third chance.
Before she can exit the backstage area, Lady Crane stops her and the two have a friendly conversation before Arya begs a way out. Just before Lady Crane is set to sit her poison beverage, Arya slaps it out of her hand, warning her about her understudy. Watching in the cut is the Waif, who reports back to the Faceless Man that Arya failed and she is given permission to kill her.
Rather than returning to the House of Black and White, Arya retrieves Needle and finds a place to settle in, unaware that the Waif has been set out to end her days.
On Steps of the Sept: Margaery is poised to make her walk, with the High Sparrow giving a little monologue to the assembled masses, but he’s cut off by the arrival of Jaime, Mace Tyrell and the Tyrell army who are ready to rescue Margaery by force if they have to.
Jaime rides up the steps so that he doesn’t have to shout at the High Sparrow and promises they’ll spill blood, but the High Sparrow says there is no need. There will be no “Walk of Shame” because a new alliance has been brokered between the Faith and the crown. The doors of the Sept open and out walks Tommen, prompting Jaime to just sit there on his horse in disbelief, fuming.
The High Sparrow just smiles, knowing he’s won this round, having used Loras to use Margaery to use Tommen.
Back in the Throne Room, Jaime takes off his armour and is dismissed of his duties and sent to the Riverlands to command the Lannister Army in an effort to get Riverrun back for Walder Frey, after his kids lost it to Sansa’s uncle, The Blackfish, stole it back from them, as Littlefinger explained last week.
Pissed off in the Red Keep, Jaime wants to fight, but Cersei gives him the powerful speech we saw in the trailers about taking the place he’s supposed to hold at the head of the Lannister Army and showing their enemies how they deal with them in due time. It’s a role reversal for the sibling lovers, who share a passionate, heated snog.
The Twins: Dirty old man Walder Frey gives his incompetent kids a tongue lashing, telling them to go take back Riverrun. When they say it’s not possible – they’re under-manned and “The Blackfish” can hold up there for a year, no problem – Lord Frey brings out his trump card: Edmure Tully. Remember him?
It’s fine if you don’t because he’s been locked in a dungeon since Season 3 when a ton of people, including Robb Stark and Catlyn Stark died at his wedding. That’s right, he’s the poor bastard that was married off to appease the Frey’s at The Red Wedding and now he’s going to be a pawn in a battle for Riverrun.
North of the Wall: Meera is sitting around a fire with the veiled stranger, wondering why he saved them. When Bran wakes and asks the man who he is, he replies the last time he saw the now paralyzed Stark, he was fond of disobeying his mother and climbing walls at Winterfell.
He pulls his shroud aside and reveals himself – it’s Uncle Benjen! Benjen Stark!
Benjen explains that the Three-Eyed Raven sent for him before he was cut down by the Night’s King and that years ago, he encountered a collection of White Walkers, one of whom stabbed him and left him to die. The Children of the Forest found him and saved him the same way they created the White Walkers, leaving him with a cool grey-blue skin tone and some facial scars as well.
Uncle Benjen explains that Bran is now the new Three-Eyed Raven and directs him to head for Castle Black, telling him he needs to be ready when the Night’s King comes… and he is coming.
Out in the Desert of Essos: Dany and Daario have a “What do I need to get to the West?” convo as they lead the khalesar through the desert. Dany knows she’s going to be asking a lot of her followers, so she rides off solo, telling Daario to sit tight.
Just as the Dothraki party is getting restless, a screech pierces the air and Drogon flies overhead. Dany lands her dragon and gives them an impassioned speech that gets that all riled up and ready to do anything for her, which is just what you need when you’re leading an army into battle and have a long way to go.
Roll credits!
Takeaways and Talking Points
Stoked to see that I called a couple key turns from this week’s episode correctly – Arya abandoning her assassin training and going back to get her sword and Dany rallying all of the Dothraki behind her and the shot of Drogon flying overhead being a “we’re all headed in the same direction” scene and not an “all these people are about to get barbecued” scene.
The return of Benjen – Ned’s long lost brother who rode out North of The Wall and was never heard from again is great. He’s an added protector for Bran and someone with further ties to the whole Three-Eyed Raven/White Walkers angle that is starting to take shape and become pivotal.
You know Sam grabbing a Valyrian steel sword is crucial. We don’t know how yet, but it’s going to be important, probably before this season ends.
Tommen played himself and his family and he doesn’t even know it. The innocent King handed all the power to the High Sparrow and The Faith and you can be sure that he’s going to make some changes in King’s Landing now that he’s got the crown on his side.
Riverrun is going to be a pretty busy place in the next couple episodes, as “The Blackfish” has reclaimed the castle, Jaime and the Freys are on their way to fight him for it and Sansa dispatched Brienne to go there as well to bring her uncle to their side. Not only should be get a terrific battle, but we could get a rekindling of the Jaime/Brienne romance that simmered back when they were on the road back to King’s Landing.
Dany’s speech was great and having an emboldened army behind you is important, but something about it gave me an uncertain feeling, like this could be the start of Dany going from the one we’re all rooting for to Dany the one who is going to lose her mind and end up doing something crazy.
Just a hunch.
