Spoilers for the season six, episode three of Game of Thrones are below.
Every year on Game of Thrones, there has to be at least one episode that just moves things forward in the story, setting up bigger battles and twists and reveals and whatnot. This week’s episode was that episode. It’s not that nothing happened – stuff happened – but it wasn’t the big revelations and “Oh hey look Jon Snow is alive” moment like we got last week, making it more of a “get us to the next big point” week.
So here’s what happened.
Castle Black
So Jon’s back and the folks at Castle Black are all kind of in shock about seeing the Lord Commander up and walking around. Turns out, the best way to defuse an awkward situation is with jokes. Tormund jokes about Jon’s small wiener and Edd jokes about Jon telling a joke. It was actually all pretty cute; a fun, little exchange amongst guys that don’t normally have many laughs.
Out on the Sea
Sea-sick Sam, Gilly and Baby Sam are on their way to The Citadel, except that Gilly isn’t headed to The Citadel. Women aren’t allowed in The Citadel and even though Sam was able to skirt the rules at Castle Black, he let’s Gilly in on his actual plan for her: he’s sending her and Baby Sam to his home, Horn Hill, where his dad is… well… his mother is decent and his sister is real nice.
Under a Tree and In the Past
This week’s edition of “Bran Sees the Past” brings us to the Tower of Joy, a moment book readers have been waiting to see for some time. For everyone that has just been following along on television, it’s the place where Bran’s Aunt Lyanna was taken by Rhaegar Targaryen at the outset of “Robert’s Rebellion.”
We see Eddard Stark with Howland Reed, the father of Bran’s current sidekick Meera, taking on some of Rhaegar’s men, who are guarded the Tower. But because this is a “get’em to next week” episode, the Three-Eyed Raven brings him back to the present just as Young Ned is running up the steps to an important event.
At the Khalessi Retirement Home
Dany made it to Vaes Dothrak, where all the widowed khal wives hang out, but sadly, it’s not all shuffleboard, knitting circles and sharing pictures of grandchildren. It’s pretty grimy and they all were similar outfits and as it turns out, Dany’s time out on the world after Khal Drogo’s death might exclude her from being allowed to stay at the widowes of khals retirement home.
Meereen
Varys does as Varys does, gathering information on the Sons of the Harpy, while Tyrion does what Tyrion does – he tries passing the time waiting on Varys by having a couple sips of wine and trying to chat up Grey Worm and Missandei, which doesn’t go over very well.
Once Varys rolls into the meeting and pass along the info he’s gathered on whose funding the Sons of the Harpy – it’s the people Dany crushed in prior stops on her “Free the Slaves” Tour – Tyrion explains that leaving Meereen to crush their foes isn’t the right play because it leaves Meereen vulnerable.
Do we find out what they’re going to do though? Of course not – that’s for next week or maybe two weeks from now.
King’s Landing
In his lab, Qyburn plies Varys’ “little birds” (street kids) with sugar plums and plenty of them if they bring him information they glean out in the world. Cersei, Jaime and The Reanimated Mountain roll in and we learn that Cersei is planning a “trial by combat” between Frankenstein’s Mountain and a representative of the High Sparrow.
Cersei and Jaime then roll off to a Small Council meeting, which is being attended by Lady Olenna, who says it’s crazy what has happened to the Queen. Cersei thanks her for acknowledging it, which leads to the best line of the night: “You’re not the queen; you’re not married to the king; I do appreciate that these things can get a bit confusing in your family.”
BOOM! ROASTED! Who else has missed Lady Olenna?
When Jaime and Cersei try to force their way into the meeting, Uncle Kevan is having none of it, opting to move the meeting elsewhere. Well played, Uncle Kevan.
Blind Stick Fighting in the House of Black and White
Brought back to the place where it all went south at the end of last season, Arya goes a few more rounds with The Waif, taking fewer blows with each altercation we see until she doesn’t get hit at all, which leads to Jaqen H’ghar gives her one more chance to tell him her name in return for her sight.
She declines and gets given a bowl of water from the pond in the center of the building – the same water that killed the random guy in return for her killing Ser Meryn Trant at the end of last year. Jaqen tells her that if she really is No One, she doesn’t have anything to worry about in drinking the water, so she takes a big swig, eyes closed. And when she’s done and opens her eyes, she can see again.
Winterfell
Rat bastard Ramsey Bolton is recruiting Northerners, knowing that he needs men, and has a chat with Smalljon Umber.
While he wants Ramsey’s help since the Umbers are the Northern-most clan this side of The Wall – therefore first to have to fight whoever is coming south – he’s not kissing Ramsey’s hand or taking a knee. The way he sees it, Ramsey’s pop pledged his service to Robb Stark, taking a knee and declaring him “King of the North” and then he sold him down the river, so who needs to go through all the formalities if people can’t be trusted anyway?
Plus, he’s got a present for Ramsey – Osha and Rickon Stark. What happens to them after they meet Ramsey? No idea – that too is for next week.
Back to Castle Black
The traitors await their fate, nooses around their necks and Jon gives them all a chance to off some last words. Ser Aliser Thorne says he’d do it all again the same way and Olly doesn’t say anything, looking indignantly at back-from-the-dead Jon, who pulls out his sword and sends them to the eternal sleep. He then takes of his large parka and hands it to Edd, telling him “You have Castle Black; my watch is over” as he walks out.
Roll credits!
Takeaways & Talking Points
This damn show and their continued teasing of awesome stuff!
The Tower of Joy flashback on Sunday was great, but ended before getting to the part everyone wants to see – or hopes to see: the part where R+L=J is either proven factual or false, one way or the other. It’s also worth noting that the Three-Eyed Raven tells Bran he has to learn everything, which should make it clear that Bran is important.
Jon calling it quits at Castle Black is going to be big too, if that wasn’t obvious. Since he was dead, he’s no longer bound to his oath as a member of the Night’s Watch.
You know the in the end, Dany isn’t going to end up taking anybody’s crap at Widow’s Hall. Between Drogon still out in the world and Tyrion having let the other two loose last week, expect dragons to be involved.
It all should be fun. Is it Sunday yet?
