Favorite characters return and exit. Theories going back years are confirmed and trampled. The second episode of Season Six exploded and changed the stakes of the entire kingdom. To make such big changes and movements this early in the seasons teases confidence in future episodes and propels us closer to the endgame. Below, I'll warg into the Weirwood Net and break down one of Game of Thrones biggest episodes by location, tell you my quick thoughts, and tease my spoiler free predictions for the next episode.
BEYOND THE WALL
My favorite scene in the episode is the first one we see. When we last saw Bran Stark over a season ago, he had found the Three Eyed Raven who had been haunting his dreams since the start of the series and was beginning his training as a warg. Clearly his training has advanced considerably because he is now, with help from Max Von Sydow as the Raven, able to view past events. We start this scene at Winterfell, years before the start of the series. Ned Stark and his brother, Benjen Stark, are young boys training with swords in the courtyard as Bran and the Raven look down on them from above.
The young Ned is being schooled by Benjen and told to keep his shield up. As the boys practice, their sister, Lyanna Stark, rides in on her horse, interrupting them by showing off her own skills. Bran recognizes her from the Winterfell crypt and comments that his father never talked about her. In a moment that was sure to send theorists into a frenzy, the Raven turns to comment about this fact only to see Bran has ran down to the courtyard to get a closer look at his family. Lyanna comments that Ned is soon to head to the Eyrie before calling over Wylis, whom we quickly learn is a young Hodor. However this version of Hodor is much smarter and can even talk normally. Wylis is whisked away by Old Nan (who is not very old) and Bran is whisked away by the Raven.
I loved the way this scene introduced us to the concept of Weirwood visions and the potential for Bran to be used as a vessel to show us events of the past. Often in other big dramas flashbacks can feel forced and uninvolved, but having a core character view these flashbacks himself with pre-established means helps the flashback feel organic and significant, as the events witnessed are having an affect on the character as well as the audience.
The plot of the scene flows very well, with Bran introducing the characters to us as well as using our foreknowledge of events to create impact in otherwise minuscule moments. We know the fates that await these characters. Lyanna comments offhand about Ned's travel to the Eyrie, which we as an audience know will begin to strengthen his ties to the Tullys and introduce him to his future wife, Catlyn Tully, as well as the later-assassinated Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie at that time. We also know that Benjen, who is clearly the stronger fighter, will later join the Nights Watch and become a highly-respected Ranger, ultimately going missing beyond the Wall. In a few years, Lyanna will be kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen, sparking Robert's Rebellion and changing the entire course of Westeros history.
The scene is also set and framed beautifully by the director with poetic parallels to first episode of the series where we originally met the Starks. In the first episode, we see Jon Snow, future member of the Nights Watch, training in the courtyard with Robb Stark, future rebel against the crown. Above them, Ned and Cat watch lovingly over their family in a shot paralleled directly with Bran and the Raven this week. The training is interrupted by Arya, the rambunctious tomboy of the Stark family whom Ned often states reminds him of Lyanna. She shows off her skills with the bow just as Lyanna showed off with the horse. Both groups of Starks new and old are experiencing a moment of happiness and unity just before tragic events shatter them apart, which creates a bitter-sweet sting for the viewers who know of the events to come.
The way these two scenes create symmetry between both generations of Starks is frankly beautiful and a reminder of how well this show can transcend expectations and tropes to create something truly remarkable and cinematic without being forced or obvious. This scene is Game of Thrones done to perfection by using the fantasy elements to talk about themes of family and destiny as well as pull at our hearts in subtle but meaningful ways.
THE WALL
Night has fallen and it is time for Davos and the few remaining loyalists to surrender to their inevitable deaths. Outside the door, the Nights Watch surrounds them with bows and swords, ready for an easy one-sided slaughter. Davos and Company clearly know they are not getting out of this alive and draw their swords to go out in their blaze of glory. However their Bonnie and Clyde moment is cut short when the Wildlings bust through the gate. A giant charges the Nights Watch and in a moment torn right from Hulk in the Avengers, he slings the Watchmen who dares to fight him around like a doll. The rest of the Watch realize they are heavily outnumbered and drop their swords. This meek surrender concludes with dialogue that could easily be taken directly from the future pages of Winds of Winter:
Thoren: "For thousands of years, The Nights Watch has held Castle Black against the Wildlings."
Tormund: "Until you."
The Nights Watch has fallen. The Wildlings hold Castle Black. For multiple seasons, this was the ultimate fear of the viewer as the threat of Wildling armies and dwindling Nights Watchmen constantly filled our minds. We even cheered when the Nights Watch barely held off this same group of Wildlings at the end of Season 4. Now, however, this takeover is seen as a victory by the viewer. Our opinions on these two groups have switched and we find ourselves rooting for the Wildlings. We have spent time with them and with the Watch, growing to see them both as who they truly are.
While the viewers see this as a victory, however, it is hard to imagine that the rest of Westeros will, especially the North. This may help turn the North against the Watch and fuel Ramsay's potential attack. But, despite the implications of this Wildling take over, this is not the event at Castle Black that we are all talking about.
We return to the Wall and find Jon's loyalists preparing for his funeral. In desperation, Davos turns to Melisandre, asking if Jon must remain dead or if she knows of any potential way to use her powers to revive him. Mel, who has lost her faith, doubts her connection to the Lord of Light. In another character role switch, Davos reassures Mel that she has done inexplicable, miraculous things and that while he may not believe in the gods, he must believe in what he has seen with his own eyes.
Mel heads to the room in a last ditch effort to save Jon Snow as well as her own faith. And we get to see what might be the most anticipated and speculated-on scene ever put to television. Melisandre washes Jon and says prayers in Valyrian. Her theme builds with the tension, but it soon drops to silence. Jon remains dead. Our characters lose their last bit of hope before, one by one, leaving the room. As the room empties, and hope begins to fade from the viewers as it has from the characters, we pan back to Jon. At this moment, every viewer perked to the height of our attention as we all held our breath. And at the final moments of the episode, Jon bursts back to life, gasping for air.
Wow. After speculating for years as a reader and months as a viewer, I thought there was no way that this event could live up to the expectations set for it. Since the moment of Jon's death, his return via Melisandre was predicted to the point where I thought I would be disappointed about it being so easy. But the building tension and the character moments leading up to this reveal made it all feel worth it. Our predictions came true, but it somehow managed to avoid feeling predictable.
If you recall in early season three, Arya was traveling with the Brotherhood without Banners, lead by Thoros of Myr. Thoros was a red priest, worshiping the same god as Mel. What makes Thoros relevant is that he had the power to resurrect the dead through the Lord of Light. In a change from the books that is incredibly significant now, Melisandre meets with Thoros on the road. When she talks with him, he tells her about his ability to raise the dead. She asks him how, and he tells the story of how he had totally lost his faith in the god. He was going through the motions and saying the prayers, but he was not believing. It was only at this lowest point his faith, when he turned to the Lord in pure desperation, he was able to revive his friend.
This is incredibly relevant years later when Melisandre had lost her faith and given up and it was only at this moment she was able to raise Jon. This callback is fascinating and shows just how much foreknowledge the showrunners had. The writers added in this Mel scene to the show, giving her the knowledge of the potential of raising the dead. Wile it seemed at the time to be a throwaway crossover of storylines, this shows that the writers knew even then where they were going with Mel and Jon and I'm intrigued to see what other previous set up moments sit waiting in the past.
WINTERFELL
The plot movements do not slow as we move south to Winterfell where Ramsay hears the news of Sansa's escape and proposes an attack on Castle Black to kill Jon Snow and Sansa, the potential heirs to Winterfell. He believes that Jon could be legitimized and have a claim to the North, and that he can unite the Northern families who feel spited by Robb Stark. Roose Bolton expresses doubt that the North would ever back and attack on Castle Black as they have high respect for the Watch. Their debating is cut short when their maester enters to tell them that Fat Walda has given birth to a boy. Ramsey reacts uneasily, knowing that he is failing his father and that this boy could replace him as the heir to the North.
In what is clearly a pre-planned assassination, Ramsay stabs a knife through the heart of his father. He commands the maester to send a raven claiming the death was due to poison by the enemy. But Ramsey's slaughter does not stop there as he leads Fat Walda and his newborn brother out to the dogs, and watching them both be torn apart. "I am Lord Bolton," Ramsey declares. He has taken control of the house and of Winterfell and his battle on the Wall will soon begin to build.
This action by Ramsay perfectly fits with his character and plot. His hunger for control of the house has been evident and his building hatred for his father reached this inevitable conclusion. Roose's arrogance and constant underestimation of his son was his downfall with a sense of poetic justice. We have been wishing for Roose's death ever since he sent Robb Stark the Lannister's regards at the Red Wedding, but his death gives us a sense of fear for the future as someone even more terrifying has taken control. In yet another moment of parallel composition subtly executed by the director, Roose is stabbed through the heart, just like he killed Robb Stark, with a shot framed in reverse of the infamous shot of Robb's death at the Red Wedding.
Ramsay's attack on Castle Black seems all the more plausible now that the Wildlings have taken over and I believe he can use this news to his advantage to unite the North against Jon and march into a conflict a long time coming as the bastards of the North battle, with the fate of the entire Seven Kingdoms in the balance. No pressure.
THE NORTHERN ROAD
Podrick and Theon build a fire as Brienne and Sansa connect over Arya. Brienne recounts her last interactions with Arya, telling Sansa she saw her with a man and that she seemed safe. Sansa is relieved to hear that her sister is alive and tells Brienne that she regrets not going with her when she had the chance. "We've all had to make difficult choices," Brienne says, nodding to Theon.
Sansa talks with Theon, telling her that she plans to head north to the Wall and that Theon could take the black and be forgiven of his crimes. Theon says he does not want to be forgiven and wants to make amends. In an emotional scene, Theon shows true regret over his actions against the Starks and tells Sansa that he would have died to get her out of Wintefell and to the Wall. They embrace and Theon tells her that he is heading home.
I liked this scene and felt emotionally impacted by Theon's departure. He has had quite a dynamic arch as a character from being mostly a problem in Winterfell to being a tortured and sympathetic character despite his crimes against the Stark family. I think the audience opinion on Theon has been more back and forth than it has on any other character and it is fascinating that we can feel emotional and sorry for a character that most of us truly hated a few seasons ago.
Despite such a dynamic shift, Theon's development is only just beginning as he now heads home, to the Iron Islands, where his father, Balon, and his sister , Yara, face problems of their own.
THE IRON ISLANDS
Another long-lost character returns, Balon Greyjoy, who in season two declared himself king only to be seemingly cut from the show. Yara challenges his inactivity as the Greyjoys are being crushed around the mainland as he lacks planning and action. Yara begs her father to reassess his plans as the War of the Five Kings is over. Balon stubbornly refuses, telling Yara he can make another heir if she refuses to obey.
Balon heads out in anger to an extremely impractical bridge heading between towers. The rain and wind shake the bride and blur our vision. As Balon crosses, his path is blocked by a hooded figure who calls him brother. Balon recognizes him as someone who has left long ago. This hooded man says he is the ruler that the Iron Born deserve and that he will strike fear into their enemies. The hooded man throws Balon from the bridge to his death, killing the last of the Five Kings.
At Balon's funeral, Yara and her uncle discuss the right to the throne. According to Greyjoy custom, where there is no male heir apparent, there must be a Kingsmoot to decide who the heir will be. Yara will compete, but so will other Greyjoys who believe they should have a claim to the throne. Yara may be the first woman to lead the Ironborn, but she will have a lot of work to do first.
This was a strange plotline because it is so long after it's place in the books. If this followed the timeline of the books, this Greyjoy plot should have been introduced earlier in the start of Season 5 or even Season 4. It has been a very long time since we saw Balon Greyjoy and this distance from a character with very little screentime surely caused many viewers to be confused over who he is and why he matters. While I was a fan of the Greyjoys in Feast for Crows, I struggle to see how they will fit in the story at this point. With so much excitement focused on the core characters in the North and Kings Landing, I could easily see this Greyjoy Kingsmoot being a drag for show watchers because of its disconnect from the larger story. Theon's return home could throw a very interesting wrench into the source materials events and give the viewers a more established character to latch on to, but with an already crowded season, this delayed storyline could end up being lost in the action.
BRAVOS
Another character who I'm afraid may get lost in the action is Arya Stark. She is once again beaten by the waif with very little chance of resistance. Despite fighting back, she is unable to defend blows or get a hit on the waif and simply takes even more dangerous smashes to the head. At the end of this beating, Jaqen H'ghar, her perceived mentor or leader in the Faceless Men, comes to her. He offers her food, water, and shelter of she admits she is Arya Stark, but she remains persistent that she is no one. Jaqen approves and guides her off, presumably back to the House of Black and White to continue her training.
I am beginning to wonder just how Arya really fits in to the story of Westeros. For two episodes now we have seen her hit in the face with a stick, and she is now taken back by Jaqen, potentially forgiven of her crime. In both of these episodes, I have felt that Arya's story felt largely irrelevant from the rest and this scene felt mostly repetitive of last weeks. I am also unsure why Jaqen would take her back so easily as it seems she has not made much progress in her abilities. If this is truly her return to honor, it feels rushed and I struggle to see what the point of her banishment was in the first place. Perhaps, with Arya back with the Faceless Men, her plot can shed more light on this organisation and give her some genuine action in the story.
MAREEN
Tyrion is desperate as rebellion stirs in Mareen and he receives news of the Masters returning to power across Essos. Dany's efforts to spread freedom and kill slavery on Essos has seemingly failed, with Mareen being the last hope - and a failing one. Tyrion believes that their only hope is to tame the dragons in order to keep their power. The dragons have not been eating and have been chained for a long time, clearly struggling with captivity. Tyrion vows to go down and unchain these dragons and feed them.
While there, he tells them a story of his past about his birthday where he asked his uncle for a pet dragon. "It could be little like me." The adults laughed at him, saying the dragons have been dead for a century. Tyrion says that he cried himself to sleep that night. He successfully frees the dragons, and tells Varys to never let him do something so stupid again.
This scene was a mixed bag. I liked the set up for the dragons to be used in action and I think the CG looked much better than it has in the past. I also really enjoyed Tyrion's story from his childhood. It showed that the cynic Tyrion has been through the series was not who he has always been. He was once a young child, optimistic for his future, and dreaming of dragons.
What I did not like was the reveal that slavery had returned to Essos. Since season two Dany's mission and action have all revolved around freeing slaves from captivity and destroying the masters. If slavery returned and the masters have power once again, what was the point of Dany's entire plot? Dany has struggled for a long time to remain relevant and important to the events of the series. With the return of slavery and he burning of her ships, as well as her being once again a captor of the Dothraki, it feels as if nearly all of Dany's time was wasted.
KINGS LANDING
In the capitol, the funeral for Marcella has begun. We see a beggar talking loudly about Ceresi's walk of shame and how he had flashed her his junk. He claims she was impressed and that she showed interest. This mindless bragging is not taken lightly, as the beggar's head is crushed by Robert Strong/The Mountain. Ceresi, preparing for the funeral, is barred at her door and told that she must not leave the Red Keep by order of the king. A whole crowd of soldiers block her door, but as The Mountain touches his sword, they all jump in fear. They clearly know that this is not a force to battle with. Ceresi caves to the wishes of her son, however, and returns to her room.
Meanwhile, King Tommen is visiting his sister as Jaime Lannister, Tommen's uncle and father, stands guard over yet another lost family member. Jaime tells Tommen that he should not have barred his mother from the funeral, but Tommen says he was afraid of what the Faith Militant could do to her. Jaime says he will protect Ceresi and will not allow the Faith to take her again. Tommen tells Jaime that he regrets his decisions of allowing the Faith to take his wife and his mother captive and that he should have taken action. Jaime tells Tommen kings must make tough choices as the High Sparrow enters. In a tense battle of will, Jaime and the Sparrow issue threats of action as Jaime is growing tired of allowing the Faith to hold the capitol and the Sparrow claims he is starting a rebellion and that together, the Faith can overthrow an empire.
Tommen heads up to see his mother where he tells her of his regrets for letting the Faith take her. They embrace as Cersei regains the love and trust of her one remaining child.
The Kings Landing plot was fairly driving this episode, with some touching Lannister family moments. Tommen and his father have an earnest discussion as Jaime reassures Tommen in the way any father would when seeing his son suffer. Jaime clearly wishes he could be a father to Tommen, but knows he needs to keep his distance. However in this rare private moment between the two, they are able to connect as father and son. This scene also teases the conflict between the Faith and the Lannisters. This tension can only rise so much higher before conflict erupts. And with the revived Mountain who can scare an entire crowd of armoured guards on their side, this is sure to be a Lannister victory.
WHAT I LOVED
- Bran's vision of the past. This scene is one of my favorites in the series. The way it balances the necessary explaining to the audience without talking down to us is something few writers can manage and it's use of symmetry with the opening episode is nothing short of brilliant. Where Bran's powers can take the plot of this show fills me with excitement and if the future scenes can be executed on this level, this season could deliver beyond expectations.
- Jon's return. While it was executed in a way that could have felt very predictable, it was executed with tension and excitement to the point where the countless hours I had spent theorizing over the past few years all felt worth it.
WHAT I LIKED
- Roose's assassination and Ramsey's rise to power. This development was a long time coming for Ramsey and the brutal heartlessness with which he executed his scheme was truly horrifying. He is set up as the major antagonist of this season and his inevitable showdown with Jon and the Wildlings is sure to be one of moments we're bound to remember for years. The only reason I did not love it was that I felt Roose was slightly dumbed down for his death. He should have known not to trust Ramsey and going up close to hug the man he had previously threatened to murder seemed like a major overlook that he probably should not have missed.
WHAT I DISLIKED
WHAT I HATED
- Danny's progress eraser. This is one of Game of Thrones best episodes ever, so it is hard to hate any of it, but it's biggest flaw to me is the way it stomped out Danny's impact on Essos. For the majority of the show Danny struggled to interest viewers, but she at least had a driving plotline of eradicating slavery in the East. While it was frustratingly distant from the rest of the story, it was at least a cause we could get behind. With all of that gone and the Masters in power, I cannot help but feel like nearly 5 seasons of storytelling were entirely wasted.
To avoid spoilers for the books, I will not predict anything involving the Greyjoy plot. I will also tread lightly on an upcoming scene shown in the teaser and trailer at the Tower of Joy.
At the Wall, Jon has returned to life. The Wildlings will see his revival as an act of the old gods and Mel will inform him of the story and prophecy of Azor Ahai, the ancient savior who defeated the White Walkers a thousands years ago and was foretold to return when he was needed. She thought Stannis was Azor Ahai, but she is now convinced it s him. I do think we will see some change in Jon's personality. Perhaps he will be angry or vengeful on the Night's Watch or perhaps he will begin to see himself as the Prince that was Promised. Either way, Jon will view himself and be viewed by others much differently.
Ramsey is shown in the tease and in the description as receiving a gift. My guess is that this gift could be the body of Stannis, which we have yet to see on screen. I am not entirely sure of the location of his body, but this gift could satisfy Ramsey and the viewers as assurance that Stannis is dead. I believe that the gift will somehow solidify that he has at least some of the Northern lords at his back, showing his battle against Castle Black building.
Tommen confronting the High Sparrow will probably involve him demanding his wife is freed, with potential bloodshed from the Faith. This could be the spark that ignites the tension that's built between the Lannisters and the Faith.
Vary's answer is probably to who is leading the Sons of the Harpy, as he told Tyrion he had begun investigating this question in the season opener. I hope the Harpy plot is resolved soon because I feel like it has been drawn out a little too long.
Arya will begin training with the Faceless Men once again and become skilled despite her blindness. Perhaps when she reaches this peak she will be given her sight back, making her feel like she fought and earned it.
Bran's vision of the past is where this gets interesting and where I will also begin to walk on the spoiler eggshells. Strangely, these spoilers are nearly 30 years old as they are from a pivotal dream sequence in the very first book of the series. I will not spoil this scene here, but it has fueled fan theories for decades and the undeniable presence of this scene in both the episode teaser and the season trailers makes it feel as if the most popular fan theory in Game of Thrones will be confirmed next week. If you are not aware of the Tower of Joy and it's significance, I honestly recommend avoiding it and waiting for next week to allow the reveal to have it's show impact. However if you are interested and do not mind hearing events from the first book in the series, the best way to learn would be to go on YouTube and watch Alt Shift X's video titled R+L=J. This scene has made this episode into one I am already itching to see and could deliver on my most anticipated scene even ahead of Jon's revival.
Last week I promised a shorter review, but how was I supposed to know this episode would be such a massive event for the series? This season has to slow down eventually, right? If next week's teaser is any indication, it may not be slowing yet. Let me know on here or on Facebook what your thoughts are. Were you satisfied with Jon's return? What will Ramsey do next?
Very well done once again! Very insightful.
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