The setup and building tension continues as the end of the season begins. Jaime faces his Kobayashi Maru in the Riverlands, stability begins to crack in Kings Landing, and dogs are out sniffing for new meat. Bellow, I will briefly give my highs and lows of the episode. After, I'll break down the entire episode by location. At the end, I'll use the teaser and lingering plotlines to predict the next episode.
WHAT I LOVED
Margery the Manipulator: King's Landing's plot has been weak for me this season, but with Margery playing both sides in a Westeros Cold War, I'm suddenly very invested in seeing how this plays out. Cersei's days of peace are numbered and the odds are quickly stacking against her. Where Margery Tyrell ultimately falls will be very significant to the finale of the Kings Landing tension that has been building for the entire show.
Jaime Takes Charge: Jaime has been sidelined for a little while, spending most of this season by Cersei's side and most of last season wasting time doing gods-know-what in Dorne. Finally, we see the Jaime Lannister that tales are told about. The Jaime who slaps Freys across the face with a golden hand and stands face to face with Blackfish Tully at his own gate. Seeing the start of this siege executed so well gets me very excited for the rest coming next week.
WHAT I LIKED
Who Let the Hound Out: The Hound's return has been speculated about since A Feast for Crows teased it in 2005. Seeing his return executed in a much different way than theorized is interesting, and the tease of his vengeance left me starving for every fookin chicken in this room. Seeing him back was great and exciting, but I am unsure how it fit in the episode overall. With so much going on in the North and in the Riverlands, the Hound's return feels a little out of place even if it is what is surely grabbing all the headlines.
The Three Stark Amigos: Jon, Davos and Sansa play well off each other and the fact that Sansa, a character many viewers had hated at the start of the show, can stand her grown with two of the fan favorites is a big testament to the growth of her character. Davos talking with the Lady Lord of House Mormont was a great scene that really showed the strength of his character. It was also good to see them lose one terribly to show they are not going to have it easy. The three scenes were individually satisfying, but together it felt a bit rushed and I wish we could have been given more time to see the trio plan out their approach. Surely this life-or-death scenario warrants more thought than having Davos Seawoth wing it.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
Reek No More: Theon's return to strength was inevitable, and the scene itself was not done badly, but it feels entirely disconnected from the rest of the story and came off fairly rushed. It also made Yara seem very insensitive to her brother's problems. Surely this scene was only done so that they can meet with Danny and get her West by the end of the season, but it could have been executed better.
WHAT I HATED
Arya Loses Her Lunch: Arya heading West was a good scene, but her ignorance to the danger around her
BEYOND THE WALL
Last time we saw Jon, Sansa, and Davos, they were heading out of Castle Black to recruit men to their rebellion against the Boltons. Their first stop is North to ask for help from the Wildlings. Initially, they are hesitant. Last time they united under one king, the Night's Watch murdered him. Tormund and Jon are able to turn them, though, with Jon emphasizing that the Boltons hate Wildlings and will fight them and Tormund saying Jon was murdered for his sympathy with the free folk. They shake, and now Jon has an army of Wildlings on his side.
This scene was good and showed how much Jon has changed since the start of the series. Originally, he was in the Night's Watch and hated wildlings. Now, he is willing to fight along side them in a war against Winterfell. In season one, would we have ever rooted for a Wildling army in their attack on the home of the Starks? I do wonder why Jon didn't emphasize more strongly about his Wildling sympathy. He could have argued that he put Mance Rayder out of his misery or that he had loved Yigrett. He mostly relied on Tormund, which makes some sense, but I think he could have done some big pushes himself.
HOUSE MORMONT (BEAR ISLAND)
The nest stop of the Northern Trio in Bear Island, just south of the Wall, where House Mormont resides. We see Sansa, Jon and Davos meet with Lady Lord Lyanna Mormont, who is bold and harsh in her initial denial of their cause. She calls Sansa out on her various mixed-allegiance marriages and has no cause to join under a bastard. She softens to Davos, however, who argues that her uncle, Joer Mormont, knew Jon would be a great leader and that the true war is against the living and the dead, assuring her that the her uncle knew the living must join together. She pledges her house, but it is not a large help, only adding 60 something men.
This was my favorite of the Northern Conversion scenes. Seeing a young, firey girl in the lead was a welcome change to the old men and white beads that populate Northern castles. I also liked that all the questions she asked her the logical, reasonable questions that any lord they face will ask. Jon is a Stark, why follow him? Sansa married a Lannister and a Bolton, can she be trusted? Robb Stark lost, how will we win? The shining moment was Davos' speech. Davos had a very close relationship with Shireen Baratheon, Stannis' daughter. It seems that he saw some of her in Lysa Mormont and that helped him know what she wanted to hear. It was interesting that she had a heroic view of Lyanna Stark. She believes she died in battle, but Jon and Sansa know otherwise. Lyanna was killed in the Tower of Joy, one way or another. Yet another tease of what is to come with that flashback. It is also interesting that Jorah Mormont, Danny's right hand man, is also her cousin. I half expected him to show up here after leaving Danny, but either way seeing the blood connections that tie so many storylines and characters together is always fascinating and interesting to me.
This was my favorite of the Northern Conversion scenes. Seeing a young, firey girl in the lead was a welcome change to the old men and white beads that populate Northern castles. I also liked that all the questions she asked her the logical, reasonable questions that any lord they face will ask. Jon is a Stark, why follow him? Sansa married a Lannister and a Bolton, can she be trusted? Robb Stark lost, how will we win? The shining moment was Davos' speech. Davos had a very close relationship with Shireen Baratheon, Stannis' daughter. It seems that he saw some of her in Lysa Mormont and that helped him know what she wanted to hear. It was interesting that she had a heroic view of Lyanna Stark. She believes she died in battle, but Jon and Sansa know otherwise. Lyanna was killed in the Tower of Joy, one way or another. Yet another tease of what is to come with that flashback. It is also interesting that Jorah Mormont, Danny's right hand man, is also her cousin. I half expected him to show up here after leaving Danny, but either way seeing the blood connections that tie so many storylines and characters together is always fascinating and interesting to me.
HOUSE GLOVER (DEEPWOOD MOTTE)
Sansa must have borrowed Littlefingers teleportation device, because the Trio is now in Deepwood Motte trying to win over House Glover. This time, it doesn't go well because they are shut down and thrown out. Lord Glover lost his family and many men in Robb's war and has nothing to show for it. He thinks House Stark is dead and refuses to join sides with Wildlings. He is having no part in their dealings and leaves them.
Later, the group is mounting up for camp. Davos tries to assure Jon that the war can still be won, but Sansa isn't convinced. She knows they have way too few men and that they need to gather more. Jon shuts her down, causing her to write a letter a letter to someone, signed with the Stark seal.
This is where I will talk about the Northern plot overall. The scenes were good individually and had their place. They won the Mormont's as they probably should have with how closely the Mormont's are tied to the Starks and the Night's Watch. They won a lot of Wildlings because Jon knows them well and Tormund is like a Wildling hero figure. They also lost the Glovers to show that not every house is going to be bending to Stark rule, even if they were strongly loyal to the Starks before. Together, they are a little rushed and messy. They are apparating around the North very quickly with no explanation of how they are doing it or how long it is taking. This is a fairly normal issue with the show that I'm usually able to shrug off, but it was a pretty glaring flaw this week and I would be lying to myself to not mention it.
Later, the group is mounting up for camp. Davos tries to assure Jon that the war can still be won, but Sansa isn't convinced. She knows they have way too few men and that they need to gather more. Jon shuts her down, causing her to write a letter a letter to someone, signed with the Stark seal.
This is where I will talk about the Northern plot overall. The scenes were good individually and had their place. They won the Mormont's as they probably should have with how closely the Mormont's are tied to the Starks and the Night's Watch. They won a lot of Wildlings because Jon knows them well and Tormund is like a Wildling hero figure. They also lost the Glovers to show that not every house is going to be bending to Stark rule, even if they were strongly loyal to the Starks before. Together, they are a little rushed and messy. They are apparating around the North very quickly with no explanation of how they are doing it or how long it is taking. This is a fairly normal issue with the show that I'm usually able to shrug off, but it was a pretty glaring flaw this week and I would be lying to myself to not mention it.
VOLANTIS
After a the Iron Island Caucus elected Euron Trump Greyjoy, Theon and Yara have fled East to Volantis. The Greyjoys who ran with them are drinking and whoring in typical Greyjoy fashion, but Theon is obviously uncomfortable. After Ramsey cut him, he is obviously unable to have sex. But Theon has always been a horn dog, so his eyes and brain are still drawn to the woman. Yara notices his problems and tries to reassure him in a weird Greyjoy way by telling him to get drunk and forget his problems. She tells him that they will go to Meereen and meet with Danny before Euron can and return to the Iron Island to take their home back. If he will always be Reek he should give up now, but if he is going to with her he needs to be Theon Greyjoy.
I'm to see Theon escape his Reek persona and embrace his strength. After everything he has been through, it will be very interesting to see what he is like now that he is free. If it pays off, the torture and humiliation Theon endured will feel like necessary storytelling. However this scene was one of the weaker parts of the episode. Yara came off very rude and unconcerned. Not only about Euron's insanity and bloodthirst, but about her own brother and his trauma. She treats it like being tortured for a year or so was just water under the bridge and that he should just get over it. It seemed strange to have her treat him this way right before we are supposed to buy their loving family connection a few moments later. This was probably just done to show us that the Greyjoys are heading East and give Theon a chance to shine in Essos, but the scene could have waited for next week and been done better with more time. This was not the only Eastern plot that felt like a misfire shot into the wrong episode, though.
I'm to see Theon escape his Reek persona and embrace his strength. After everything he has been through, it will be very interesting to see what he is like now that he is free. If it pays off, the torture and humiliation Theon endured will feel like necessary storytelling. However this scene was one of the weaker parts of the episode. Yara came off very rude and unconcerned. Not only about Euron's insanity and bloodthirst, but about her own brother and his trauma. She treats it like being tortured for a year or so was just water under the bridge and that he should just get over it. It seemed strange to have her treat him this way right before we are supposed to buy their loving family connection a few moments later. This was probably just done to show us that the Greyjoys are heading East and give Theon a chance to shine in Essos, but the scene could have waited for next week and been done better with more time. This was not the only Eastern plot that felt like a misfire shot into the wrong episode, though.
BRAAVOS
Last episode, Arya defied the Faceless Men and swung for her third strike. Now, she is in a Braavosi market buying passage to Westeros. She is set to leave at dawn on a boat with a Westeros trader. All good and done right? Nevermind. Arya is standing alone on a bridge when an old lady approaches. Arya turns to see her only to be stabbed in the gut. The old lady is actually the waif wearing a face! Arya falls in the water, blood dying the blue. The waif walks off. But Arya isn't done yet. She jumps to the surface gasping for air and bleeding. Soon after, she is walking through the market, holding her bleeding gut, getting strange looks from the merchants and traders.
This scene was a big mess. Arya getting pounced by the waif so easily did not make much sense at all with her character and the experience she had just last episode. Surely she knew the Faceless Men were after her, but she still stands around, unprepared, to be stabbed by a very-obviously-faceless old woman? And doesn't even put up a fight? Really doesn't make much sense to me and I feel like the entire scene was executed really badly. Arya's confrontation with the waif was a really exciting setup and I was finally invested in seeing where Arya was going. Now I'm right back into being unsold on her story. Her inevitable survival of a Jeyne Westerling-level stabbing is going to feel pretty wild and they will need to do a lot to have it make sense. But another beloved character has just come back from some really terrible wounds himself, so if that hype can happen this one can too.
This scene was a big mess. Arya getting pounced by the waif so easily did not make much sense at all with her character and the experience she had just last episode. Surely she knew the Faceless Men were after her, but she still stands around, unprepared, to be stabbed by a very-obviously-faceless old woman? And doesn't even put up a fight? Really doesn't make much sense to me and I feel like the entire scene was executed really badly. Arya's confrontation with the waif was a really exciting setup and I was finally invested in seeing where Arya was going. Now I'm right back into being unsold on her story. Her inevitable survival of a Jeyne Westerling-level stabbing is going to feel pretty wild and they will need to do a lot to have it make sense. But another beloved character has just come back from some really terrible wounds himself, so if that hype can happen this one can too.
QUIET ISLE? RIVERLANDS? THE SHIRE?
We start the episode in some unnamed mid-Westeros mountain plain. A septon brother is building a small sept out of wood to house his Jonestown hippie cult. The Hound, Sandor Clegane, is doing the heavy lifting, alive and well. Brother Rey tells the story that he found Sandor and was going to bury him before he saw he was alive. Despite all odds, Sandor lived long enough to be saved. "The gods are not done with Sandor Clegane," he says.
During their weekly AA meeting, the brother tells his past of a violent killer and savage who has turned to the light of peace and religion. His peaceful outlook does not get him far though because we all know Jonestown ends with a massacre. This time, the massacre comes at the hands of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a vigilante group of slaughterers running lose on Westeros' wilderness. While the Brother attempts to use peace to reason with the brotherhood, it does not go well and Sandor comes back to find the people of his commune slaughtered. Snador Clegane grabs his wood axe and becomes The Hound once again.
This is what everyone will be talking about. A season of rebirth and revival continues with The Hound back with a vengeance. The scenes with him and his connection with the brother were very well done and serve a great purpose in this season. Their peaceful interpretation of religion and acceptance of other views poses a strong juxtaposition to the insanity and violence that has taken over Kings Landing. I would have loved to get more time with the brother and Sandor Clegane, but with so little time left in the series his quick return is probably necessary. I am also incredibly excited to see The Hound back in action. Will he be able to slaughter the Brotherhood or will the Brother's talk of peace of the corruption of violence get to his head? Could the Brotherhood actually have a stone heart on their side? We will see.
RIVERRUN
That's enough recap, right? Anyway, now we see that The Blackfish and the remaining Tully forces have taken Riverrun back from the Freys and are holding it as their own. Walder Frey has sent his sons and the Crown has sent Jaime Lannister to take Riverrun back. When Jaime arrives. the Freys are trying to siege Riverrun with an emphasis on trying. They have a few men standing around and are constantly threatening to hang Edmure Tully if The Blackfish does not surrender. Blackfish sees through the BS and calls their bluff, leaving the Freys to bumble around without any idea what they're doing.
Jaime rides up to save them from their misery when he and Bronn take control of the situation and fix the siege to a Lannister-quality hold out. Jaime meets with Blackfish to try and reason with him, offering peace and freedom if he surrenders. Blackfish is unsold and refuses to trust and oathbreaker a Kingslayer. Blackfish says there is enough for them to survive two years on the inside and doubts that Jaime can make it that long.
I really loved this whole sequence of scenes. Jaime back in action is what I have been waiting for for a very long time after he was wasted in Dorne and sidelined in King's Landing. We now get the chance to see why it is people look up to and fear Jaime Lannister. Unapologetic, cunning and charismatic. In the book, we learn that Jaime looked up to the Blackfish as a kid and was inspired by his great achievements in a precious war. Seeing these two fabled heroes interact was really satisfying. Their conversation was strong and willful and it is clear we are dealing with two defiant people who really know what they are doing. The only complaint I can have here is that I am sure many, many viewers were confused about who The Blackfish and Edmure Tully was and unsure of what this is important. This is probably because of the large delay. This event took place in A Feast for Crows, which would have placed in somewhere in season 4 or 5. The big delay probably made many people forget about the Tullys.
Jaime rides up to save them from their misery when he and Bronn take control of the situation and fix the siege to a Lannister-quality hold out. Jaime meets with Blackfish to try and reason with him, offering peace and freedom if he surrenders. Blackfish is unsold and refuses to trust and oathbreaker a Kingslayer. Blackfish says there is enough for them to survive two years on the inside and doubts that Jaime can make it that long.
I really loved this whole sequence of scenes. Jaime back in action is what I have been waiting for for a very long time after he was wasted in Dorne and sidelined in King's Landing. We now get the chance to see why it is people look up to and fear Jaime Lannister. Unapologetic, cunning and charismatic. In the book, we learn that Jaime looked up to the Blackfish as a kid and was inspired by his great achievements in a precious war. Seeing these two fabled heroes interact was really satisfying. Their conversation was strong and willful and it is clear we are dealing with two defiant people who really know what they are doing. The only complaint I can have here is that I am sure many, many viewers were confused about who The Blackfish and Edmure Tully was and unsure of what this is important. This is probably because of the large delay. This event took place in A Feast for Crows, which would have placed in somewhere in season 4 or 5. The big delay probably made many people forget about the Tullys.
KINGS LANDING
The tension in the capitol heats up as the power has shifted to the High Sparrow. At Margery's coded warning, Lady Olena is fleeing King's Landing for her life. But Cersei Lannsiter refuses to do the same. She will stay in King's Landing with her son and prepare for her trial by combat. The two women meet together and Cersei urges Olena to stay and help, but she refuses. Olena tells Cersei that she may be the worst person she has ever met and that all the problems the Seven Kingdoms now face are all Cersei's fault. Cersei agrees that she needs to take some of the blame, but refuses to give up on her son or the throne she thinks is hers.
I am finally invested in the new King's Landing plot. It felt fairly predictable at first, but the High Sparrow turn has thrown things for a loop. I loved Margery playing both sides. She has the High Sparrow sending her on missions and is sending coded messages to her mother at the same time. I am really excited to see where Margery ends up at the end. The note she gave her had a flower drawn on it, the sigil of House Tyrell. I took this to mean that her loyalty lies with her family over both the crown and the faith. If she will be able to play Tommen and the High Sparrow into her own hands is very exciting. I do not think the High Sparrow will fall for her too easily though. He is a much smarter man than people think he is and he probably knows that Margery's turn is not all that it seems. I would bet a golden Dragon that getting Olena and the Tyrells out of King's Landing was part of his plan all along.
I think Cersei is banking too hard on the Mountain being her be all, end all. Every time she faces a problem in her future she just says "I have the Mountain." as if that is going to solve it. I think some future events that I will get to below could turn the trial by combat against her.
NEXT WEEK ON DEAD CHARACTERS COME ALIVE
Next week's episode is titled No One and is directed by the same man who directed this episode. In the teaser, we finally see Cersei choose violence against the high sparrow. We later see The Mountain fighting some of the Faith. We also see Brienne reunite with Jaime in the Riverlands. She says that she will try to convince the Blackfish to surrender, but that if he does not she will have to fight Jaime, probably in a trial by combat for Rivverrun. Jaime is dead set on taking Riverrun and returning to King's Landing, saying that he loves Cersei and that he will murder every Tully alive if that is what it takes to get back to her. We see a brief glimpse of the waif in Braavos and Tyrion looking up at the roof, probably when Danny lands on her dragon.
The cliffhanger this week showed The Hound ready to maul some Brotherhood with an axe, but I am not sure it will go that way. He may kill a lot of them, but I think that the preaching of love and peace will get to him, and he will not be able to kill their leader because he is unarmed or surrendering. The Hound is on a path to King's Landing to fight his brother in a trial by combat, afterall,. OK maybe not but that would be a dream come true for a fan like me. Either way, there is more for The Hound because he would not have been brought back for nothing. The King's Landing pot is teased to boil over next week, with Cersei finally having to pay up on her promise of violence. The Mountain is slaughtering the faith in the teaser. This may result in him dying or being imprisoned prior to the trial by combat, rendering him uncallable by the queen. By legal right, she would have to call on a member of the Kingsguard, who are loyal to Tommen who has joined the faith. This will cause a lot of turmoil. Can she trust her champion to fight for her when their oath is to the king? Will Tommen let his mother be killed?
Riverland tease is very exciting. Jaime and Brienne reunited after so much they have experienced alone is going to be a big moment of the season and really show just how much Jaime has developed as a character (or not developed). If Jaime and Brienne really do fight it out for Riverrrun, it will be a really sad scene because both of them cannot make it out alive. Both Lannister twins facing a trial by combat could be a great piece of parallel storytelling too. Danny back in Meereen with the Dothraki army is exciting, especially with the Greyjoys on their way. I think we will see Danny meet with the Greyjoys next week, setting her up to cross the narrow sea in the finale.
For an episode titled No One, there is very little Arya in the teaser. My regretful prediction is that we will see her (probably literally) crawl back to the Faceless Men. But I hope she can be saved by someone else and take on the Faceless Men in the confrontation we missed out on this week. Could she be saved by Syrio Forrel, or would yet another returned character be overkill? We will probably see a scene where Sansa meets with Littlefinger after writing him the letter this week and proposes him to join their forces without Jon's knowledge.
Next week is shaping up to be a big one with a lot of action as many storylines pay off.
Another big setup episode as the season nears the final punches. With so much tension and so many characters colliding, these last three episodes are shaping up to be huge. I am beyond excited to see how this season plays out.
Thanks for reading this Game of Thrones review! If you want to read more on Game of Thrones, including weekly reviews and an upcoming endgame prediction post, you can find all of that here on TheFilmFanAwakens.blogspot.com. You can also follow me at Facebook.com/TheFilmFanAwakens and on Twitter @FilmFanAwakens. Thanks for reading and remember, if a murderous Brotherhood who worships a demon god shows up to your camp, you should probably just give them some food.
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