Week 10 (S6E05-S6E10)

Episode 55: The Door

“Hold the Door”

Major Plot Points: Arya goes to a play.  Euron wins the Salt Throne.  Sansa confronts an old friend.  Daenerys heads home.  Jon leaves Castle Black.  Hodor holds the door.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Sansa doesn’t really trust Littlefinger, but doesn’t have any reason to be angry with him like she is in the tv show.
2. Lady Crane does not exist, but it is possible Arya will be sent to assassinate someone similar.  There has to be a reason for her to leave the Faceless Men.
3. We know that the Children of the Forest used to be at war with the First Men, and that they had to join forces during the Long Night.  However the origins of the White Walkers are still unknown.
4. The Kingsmoot occurred in book 4.  First Victarion Greyjoy made his claim, then Yara.  Yara was very close to winning but her other Uncle, Euron, showed up and used the power of theatrics to win.  One of his mute crew members began playing an ancient sounding horn which killed him when he was done.  Euron then explained to the ironborn the horn was an ancient treasure from Valyria that could control dragons, and with dragons the world was theirs.  The ironborn all immediately joined him. 
5. Euron was a militant atheist, and would never be baptized again.  For this reason, his priest brother Aeron refused to declare him king.  “A godless man can not sit upon the Seastone Chair” were his exact words.

Other Points to Notice

1. It’s nice to see Littlefinger grovel a little bit. He recovers quickly though, and begins manipulating Sansa again.  In this first meeting he already begins trying to drive a wedge between Sansa and Jon.
2. We saw Arya beat the Waif last season while blind.  Now she can’t even land a hit.  Furthermore, aren’t the Faceless Men supposed to be “no-one”? Because the waif clearly is a defined person, who has actual feelings (albeit mean ones) towards Arya. 
3. Arya showing emotion during the play was another indicator of how terrible she is at being “no-one”.
4. I hope that the White Walkers have a different origin in the books.  Here, they are essentially just undead foot soldiers with no real motive other than being evil.
5. After his epic first scene with Balon, Euron falls a little flat in the Kingsmoot.  Most book fans were hoping for the quieter, more sinister book version of Euron, rather than the loud, crude, pirate persona D&D invented. 
6. The Night King seeing, and marking, Bran caused many people to begin speculating that somehow Bran would one day go back in time to warg into the Night King.
7. Sansa begins lying to Jon already.  Her relationship with Littlefinger is a serious problem, and I am not sure why she wouldn’t tell Jon about her intel source.
8. Edd does in fact let the Wall get knocked down while Jon is gone. 
9. GRRM confirmed that Hodor would meet the same fate in the books.  And that his name does mean ‘hold the door’. So fucked up

Stray Observations:

1. The play was a bit much for me.  Seemed weirdly meta.
2. Euron looks different in Season 7.  He gets a haircut and an all-leather wardrobe. 
3. Jorah and Dany have a nice farewell, and meet again early next season.  Still not sure what the point of the greyscale plot was. 
4. I like Melisandre 2 but I really need to know what was said to Varys in the flames. 
5. I’m a big Tormund-Brienne fan.
6. Not sure if the Children of the Forest in the cave were the last of their race.  Hopefully not.
7. Hodor led a very sad life.  His whole purpose was just to die for Bran. 

RIP: Hodor, he died doing what he was meant to do.

Episode 56: Blood of My Blood

“I thought the Night’s Watch might make a man of you – something resembling a man at least. You managed to stay soft and fat, your nose buried in books, spending your life reading about the achievements of better men. I’ll wager you still can’t sit a horse or wield a sword….”

Major Plot Points: Sam meets with his father again.  Margaery meets with her husband again.  Arya goes to a play again. Bran meets with his Uncle again. Daenerys gives a long speech again.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Coldhands saved Bran and Meera while they were on their way to the Three Eyed Raven.  GRRM basically confirmed that he is not Benjen Stark, but it makes sense why they did it on the show. 
2. The last time we see Margaery, she is a few days away from her walk of atonement.  This punishment makes more sense since she was accused of sleeping around, it is kind of ridiculous Margaery has to do one on the show just for lying to save her brother’s life. 
3. Randyll Tarly fought on the side of Aerys Targaryen against Robert Baratheon.  He was actually one of the best generals on the side of the late king, and caused the war to last much longer.
4. I don’t foresee 8 year old Tommen becoming a puppet of the Faith Militant.  It would be wild though. 

Other Points to Notice

1. It looks like Gilly has her hair dyed before arriving at Horn Hill.  I am really confused by this, since who would ever be looking for her that would know her identity.
2. Margaery is now manipulating Tommen to be further manipulated by the High Sparrow.  I believe her angle in all of this is to get the High Sparrow on her side so she can use the faith militant against Cersei. 
3. It’s interesting to me that Sam turned out the way he did when his father is this large of a dick.  He makes Tywin Lannister look loving and kind.  Also, the actor who plays Dickon changes in between this season and the next. 
4. Arya was probably the worst assassin of all time.  She did not kill even one person she was supposed to.  Although I think seeing Lady Crane’s performance as Cersei reminded her of her own mother.  That, along with the kindness she displayed towards her, were enough for Arya to realize she did not want to be someone that killed for others.  She wanted to remain Arya Stark and kill the people she wanted to kill.
5.  Jaime is still fiercely loyal to Cersei.  It seems like his character development was put on hold since the show had to add so much filler to his story arc. 
6. After Bran woke up as the Three Eyed Raven, he still seemed like Bran.  But all of a sudden next season he is completely emotionless and detached. 
7. We were absolutely due for a Daenerys speech.  At least now she does cool shit to earn these speeches. 

Stray Observations:

1. Sam’s mom is kinda hot.
2. Poor Gilly.  She doesn’t quite understand southern politics yet. 
3. Sam stealing his dad’s sword is such a great moment.
4. Let’s go! Walder Frey sighting!!!
5. Meera is the only person acting normally about how fucked their situation is. 

RIP: Benjen Stark. He doesn’t die in this episode, but he does tell us in this episode that he basically died already. It counts.

Episode 57: The Broken Man

“Oh, there’s plenty of pious sons of bitches who think they know the word of god, or gods. I don’t. I don’t know their real names.”

Major Plot Points: The Hound is alive again.  Jon and Sansa attempt to rally the north.  Yara and Theon head for Meereen. Jaime speaks with the Blackfish. Margaery speaks with her grandmother.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Ian McShane’s character, Septon Ray, did not exist.  However he was based off a combination of 2 characters from book 4, Septon Meribald and the elder brother.  Meribald  and the elder brother led a monastery on an island, at which they took care of war survivors and people with no place to go.  Brienne visited there while searching for Sansa.  Meribald gave a pretty epic speech on the horrors of war.
2. The Hound is believed dead, but some theorize he still lives, and is under the employ of Septon Meribald.  While on his island, Brienne observed a large hooded man digging a grave, and many believe that was the Hound.  Brienne even asks Meribald if the Hound was alive, and Meribald said no, the Hound was dead and no longer suffering.  The theory goes that he was referring to the Hound as the vicious and hateful part of Sandor Clegane’s persona.
3. Lyanna Mormont is only the acting leader of House Mormont, as her mother and siblings are still presumed alive, but their whereabouts are unknown. 
4. Jaime always revered the Blackfish, since stories of his prowess in battle were things he grew up with.  It hurt him greatly when Brynden essentially disregarded him as scum without any thought. 
5. Lem Lemoncloak was a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners.  He did not outright murder civilians, but it is certainly possible he did sketchy things while working with Beric and Lady Stoneheart. 

Other Points to Notice

1. Septon Ray offers an interesting contrast to the High Sparrow.  Both claim to help the smallfolk, but Ray is actually out in the country feeding and supporting those without means.  He also is more understanding and does not personally punish those he believes to be sinners. 
2. The High Sparrow basically tells Margaery that she should let her husband have sex with her whenever he wants, and that it is not her choice.  This seems pretty archaic, even for Westeros.
3. The rose that Margaery gave Olenna was the sigil of the Tyrell house.  It was the only way she could tell her grandmother she was still operating on her own accord, and wasn’t on the side of the high Sparrow. 
4. Cersei was actually trying to recruit Olenna to her cause.  Olenna would surely regret insulting her one last time, since it resulted in the death of her entire family. 
5. Robett Glover brings up many good points as to why he will not join Jon and Sansa.  His home, Deepwood Motte, was completely controlled by Yara Greyjoy and her men for a long time, and the Glovers as a whole are nowhere near what they used to be. 
6. It greatly annoys me that Sansa recruits Littlefinger without telling Jon.  He has no reason to disagree with this.  I feel like they did it just so the Battle of the Bastards could have a Gandalf-saves-the-day moment. 
7. This episode starts a series of bad and weird decisions by Arya.  Why would she allow herself to get stabbed like that.  She had to have known the Faceless Men were coming for her.  Also she has a gut wound and jumps in dirty water with no repercussions. 

Stray Observations:

1. The High Sparrow really wants Tommen to have an heir…
2. Lyanna is a much better child ruler than Bran was. 
3. “I’m gonna go fuck the tits off this one.”  Come on guys.
4. The Hound must have the world’s worst hearing. 

RIP: Septon Ray.  We hardly knew you.

Episode 58: No One

“I haven’t had a proper sword fight in years. I expect I’ll make a damn fool of myself.”

Major Plot Points: Brienne and Jaime meet again.  Edmure Tully reclaims his home.  Daenerys returns to Meereen.  Arya goes for a run.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The High Sparrow did tell Cersei she could remain in the Red Keep until her trial.  I can’t imagine him sending his foot-soldiers into the castle after Cersei, since they would probably be killed immediately. 
2. Jaime meets Brienne again in the Riverlands.  However Brienne meets him on behalf of undead Catelyn Stark,  Lady Stoneheart.  She brings Jaime to see her, and probably to his own death.  His fate remains unknown until book 6 comes out in 50 years from now. 
3. Trial by combat is still legal.  It is unlikely Tommen outlaws it, since he is not in the High Sparrow’s pocket.
4. Jaime threatened Edmure in a similar fashion.  He offered him an ultimatum, enter the castle, lift the siege, and surrender.  Or enter the castle, and have his wife and son’s heads thrown over the wall.  He then had a bard that Edmure always hated play the Rains of Castamere for him all night. 
5. The Blackfish did not die when Jaime took over Riverrun.  Instead he escaped the exact same way he escaped the Red Wedding.  Edmure opened up the river gates to give him room to escape via swimming.  Unreal. 
6. Beric is dead, his life given to resurrect Catelyn Stark.  Thoros now serves her but seems extremely depressed.  Overall the entire Brotherhood is doing poorly, and are pretty much just criminals at this point.  It’s nice that in the show they still have a unified goal, and will now play a part in the fight agains the white walkers.

Other Points to Notice

1. We see Lady Crane take Arya’s advice about portraying Cersei as angry and vengeful.  It apparently was good advice since the audience responded extremely positively.
2. It always annoyed me that Arya did not stress to Crane just how precarious of a situation she was in.  You’d think she would warn her that if she left the house or left windows open, they would both be killed. 
3. The way Jaime tells Brienne to keep Oathkeeper, and their conversation afterwards, is one of the key moments for him in his redemption arc. The writers of course ruin it later in the episode with his speech to Edmure about Cersei.
4. Tommen is a very poor king.  When Tywin told him that a good king listens to his advisors, he apparently took this to heart.  The problem is he allows everyone around him to completely manipulate him.
5. The rumor Qyburn is speaking about, is of course the fact that there are thousands of containers of wildfire set up in the city still.
6. Remember Tyrion’s honeycomb and jackass joke from season 1? He still can’t finish it here.  I bet the last scene of the series is him explaining the ending finally. 
7. So the infamous chase scene.  First of all how can Arya run anywhere with a surely infected gut wound?  Also did they have to make the waif run like she was a robot?  And the ending is weird too, why would Arya be trained in fighting in the dark but the waif isn’t?  I know we see her beat the waif once while blind, but she loses the next episode while she can see.  Does she fight better blind?  And why does the waif not use a different face?
8. The fact that Jaqen smiles at Arya when she says she is going home really gets to me.  What is his motive? Is he proud of her? Did he want her to admit this all along?  I really hope we get resolution next season.  

Stray Observations:

1. Arya ended up killing Lady Crane afterall, albeit indirectly. 
2. I didn’t realize how much I missed Pod and Bronn together.
3. Edmure really fucking killed his one on one time with Jaime.  I think he got to him.  He definitely ended up being a huge bitch in the end though, especially with how he treated his uncle.
4. The Tully guard was such an asshole.  Why would he not listen to the Blackfish. 
5. Oranges are used in cinema to portray mortal danger for a character.  It started in the Godfather, and was even used in Breaking Bad. 

RIP: Brynden “Blackfish” Tully.  Damn cool character. 

Episode 59: The Battle of the Bastards

“If I fall, don’t bring me back.”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys conquers.  The two bastards of the North duke it out.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. It seems unlikely Daenerys would be able to destroy the invader armies that easily.  Mostly because Victarion Greyjoy was there with his brother Euron’s dragon horn.  Of course if the horn ends up not working it just may be that simple.
2. If Stannis dies, and Jon ends up marching on Winterfell, he better hope that Roose is not still alive.  Unlike Ramsey, Roose was actually a proven commander and would never meet Jon in open combat.  He would likely garrison the castle and let winter kill Jon and his men. 
3. Even though Rickon is still alive, I highly doubt he ever becomes plot relevant again.  If he mattered in the endgame, I assume the show would keep him alive. 
4. Yara and Theon are still in the North while Daenerys is in Essos, so it seems unlikely they team up.  The only way I could see this happening is if they pledge to her cause after she already lands in Westeros.
5. There is clearly a conspiracy among the northern lords to rebel against the Boltons. This never comes to fruition in the show, but it is almost a complete certainty it will occur in the novels

Other Points to Notice

1. More foreshadowing about using wildfire to blow up the sept of Baelor from Tyrion.  We have gotten a lot of mentions from characters this season about Aerys and his plans to burn the city.
2. If I were the masters, I would immediately order my soldiers to kill the Unsullied and hold Tyrion/Missandei hostage.  This plan wouldn’t work but at least it would do something.
3. At this point of the story,  I honestly believe Jon may be the best living swordsman in Westeros.  Just from experience alone, I don’t think any could take him in a 1 vs. 1 scenario.  Ramsey was uncharacteristically wise by refusing his offer.
4. Every aspect of the strategy Jon and Davos come up with is immediately abandoned by both men during the battle. 
5. Sansa brings up good points about Rickon, Ramsey, and needing more men, but then stupidly refuses to tell Jon about the knights of the Vale who are on their way. 
6. Davos and Tormund both discuss their past mistakes of following men who called themself king. They then talk about how Jon is not a king.  Not only would he be crowned shortly after the battle, he also is the direct heir to the throne.  So jokes on them
7. Some fans hate how the giant pile of bodies appears so suddenly.  Some fans need to learn that the battle is just a vehicle for telling a larger story and not a historical re-enactment.
8. The spear tactic the Bolton army uses is incredible.  Also even though he was on the wrong side, Smalljon Umber fights like a total badass.
9. I brought it up once before, but Jon surfacing from beneath the mass of people symbolized his true rebirth. He came back to life already, but it wasn’t until this point that he seizes the opportunity and decides to actually live again.

Stray Observations:

1. Why would the masters mention how the other man was a lowborn?  Obviously Dany’s advisors would choose to keep him alive.
2. Ramsey really enjoyed calling Jon a bastard. 
3. Could Rickon have ran in a straighter line? 
4. I’m glad Davos found Shireen’s stag toy.  Melisandre needs to be called out for her crimes.
5. Holy shit, there were some serious sexual vibes between Daenerys and Yara.  I’m here for it. 

RIP:  Ramsey Bolton.  The craziest, most sadistic, and ridiculous villain in the entire series.  But more importantly, RIP Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, the last of the giants.

Episode 60: The Winds of Winter

This title is a cruel reference to the name of book 6 in the series.  It is never coming out.

“You have to protect him. Promise me Ned.”

Major Plot Points: Jaime dines with the Freys.  Davos accuses Melisandre. Tyrion is named Hand, again.  Jon becomes King.  Cersei becomes Queen.  Daenerys heads home. 

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Cersei will most likely be able to use the zombie version of the Mountain to win her trial by combat against the Faith Militant.  But at some point, I expect the wildfire to go off in King’s Landing, it has been hinted at for the entire series. 
2. Pycelle was lying dead in the Tower of the Hand when Kevan Lannister walked inside.  It was there that Varys killed Kevan with a bolt to the heart.
3. Tommen is obviously still alive, but he is almost guaranteed to die soon.  I doubt an 8 year old boy will commit suicide though, so his death could come from anything.
4. Jaime finds the Freys disgusting and cowardly.  Even though he murdered the Mad King, I guess he finds the idea of murdering a man at a wedding to be the line.
5. When Sam arrives at Oldtown, he meets a maester in training that we saw die in the prologue of the book.  This indicated that the Citadel was infiltrated by the Faceless Men, although we have no idea why.  The Maesters in general are pretty sketchy, and some believe they were the reason the Targaryen dragons grew weaker with each generation.
6. The Tyrells and the Martells would never form an alliance, as they were ancient rivals. 
7. Bran’s vision finally gave fans the answer they had waited 20 years to hear.  Jon is the son of Lyanna Stark.  While we do not explicitly learn Rhaegar is the father, it is stupidly obvious at this point

Other Points to Notice

1. From start to finish, this is the best beginning to a season finale Game of Thrones has ever done. 
2. The High Sparrow can barely hide his excitement when Loras admits to his crimes.  For a man that grabbed power by pretending to be a humble servant, it is fitting he dies due to his arrogant belief that Cersei wouldn’t dare defy him.  He should have listened to Margaery, who does an incredible job at making the audience feel the tension of the moment.
3. Every time we have seen Walder Frey since the Red Wedding, he is talking about the Red Wedding.  It is his crowning achievement. 
4. Cersei seems strangely fine with Tommen being dead.  Especially compared to how she reacted when her last 2 children died.  The reason for her demeanor is…that her other 2 children died already.  In her mind that proved the witch’s prophecy to her, and Tommen was already dead.
5. This is the 2^nd white raven we see in the series.  The first to symbolize the end of summer, and this one to indicate the beginning of winter. 
6. Davos takes the role of the audience and we finally get to see Melisandre have to answer for her atrocities.  Liam Cunningham fucking kills it.  
7. Arya chopping up Walder Frey’s 2 sons, and putting them in a pie, seems like quite the stretch.  But it’s actually a plot lifted from the books.  While in Winterfell “serving” the Boltons, it is heavily implied that Lord Wyman Manderly killed the 2 Freys and cooked them into a pie, just like Arya did.
8. We see Varys riding on the ships with Daenerys’ army, along with the sigils of House Martell, and Tyrell on some sails.  Pretty successful mission. 

Stray Observations:

1. I wish that Margaery survived, just so we could see what her revenge plan would be against the High Sparrow and Cersei.
2. Septa Unella was awful, but this is a bit extreme. Sheesh
3. If Tommen didn’t kill himself, I really wonder what his first order would be.
4. “I suppose that life is irregular.”  Fucking Sam.
5. Olenna insulting the Sand Snakes almost made up for them being a thing still. 
6. A motherless bastard born in the south.  Sick burn Petyr.
7. The look Littlefinger gives to Sansa makes the whole King in the North scene way less fun.  Especially when you remember how the last King in the North plot ended. 

RIP: Grand Maester Pycelle,  Lancel Lannister,  Kevan Lannister,  the High Sparrow, Mace Tyrell, Ser Loras Tyrell, Queen Margaery Tyrell, King Tommen Baratheon, and Walder Frey.  Literally half the cast.

I can’t believe I have been doing this shit for 60 episodes now.  That blows my mind.  Season 6 was a huge step up from Season 5, but it was not without its flaws.  At times, it struggled from pacing, as well as a few minor plot holes.  But it was worth it overall I think.  Season 7 is even more hit or miss

Things I Liked:  Everything that happened in the season finale.  From Cersei’s plan, to Dany finally heading home.  On my first viewing, Jon being named King in the North was something that I did not see coming, and it was still pretty damn cool this time around.  Have to mention the incredible scene in the Battle of the Bastards that seemed to be 1 take.  We saw Jon fight 6 guys in a row without a single cut. 

Things I Did Not Like:  Arya’s conclusion to being a Faceless Man seemed rushed and disorganized.  The chase scene was ridiculous, and so was the fact that she fell into a disgusting shit river with a belly wound and was fine after.  It bothers me greatly that she comes back to Westeros and knows how to use faces.  One of the other issues I had with this slate of episodes, was the way Sansa kept her plans secret from Jon FOR NO REASON AT ALL.  It seemed like a nonsensical decision that was thrown in to add drama.  It would have been so much better if Jon was saved by other northmen, finally deciding to stand against Ramsey.