[rating=6.00] “Oathbreaker”
A comparably tepid episode that throws off both it’s heavy-handed sentiment and gleefully embellished gore (minus one glaring exception), Game of Thrones seems to be settled into its routine of moving characters toward an obvious direction. There was, of course, a moment that last week was teased to be bring a huge piece of Westeros mythology and Stark family history to the table, but proved to be more formulaic bait-and-switch storytelling that, based on the increased internet chatter that results, promises to continue.
“I did what I thought was right. I got murdered for it. Now I’m back. Why?”
Isn’t that a question we’ve all asked ourselves before? After an excruciatingly frustrating two-episode tease (not to mention the off-season), Jon Snow’s back, and he seems to be himself. As Edd notes “your eyes are still brown” when he walks into the courtyard of Castle Black to the understandably awed Crows and Wildlings. It has restored Melisandre’s faith, now resetting her prophecy to center on Jon Snow as the chosen prince. He also remembers who stabbed him, which does come up before the story’s end.
“I don’t have a Jon Snow or a Maester Aemon to help me bend the rules.”
One of the many Game of Thrones scenes that starts with 65% of the viewing audience saying “who is that, again?” In this case, Sam and Gilly are on their way to Old Towne, or more accurately, Sam is. He waits until their on a boat and he’s rife with sea-sickness to tell her his plan to leave her with his family while he studies at the Citadel specifically so he can help Jon Snow should he need to one day. Beyond recapping their travel plans, it doesn’t do much besides tease the existence of the Citadel itself.
“The past is already written. The ink is dry!”
Bran’s getting more family time via flashbacks from the Three Eyed Raven, this time taking him to the fateful battle at the Tower of Joy, complete with a young Eddard Stark doing battle with famed Targaryan swordsman, Ser Arthur Dayne. It was a tale Bran had heard over and over in his childhood, but as he watches Dayne take down a lot of Stark soldiers, he observes he’s watching a losing fight. “He’s better than my father,” states Bran, plainly. The Raven agrees with a blunt “Far better.”
Suddenly, just as it looks like Eddard might be done for (except we know he’s not because we’ve all watched the first season), he’s stabbed in the back by Howland Reed. It certainly undercuts the myth of Eddard the honorable, re-writing the past to make for his benefit. Speaking of re-writing the past, Bran goes full-on Back to the Future by calling out young Eddard’s name as he climbs the staircase up the tower.
What lies at the top of the staircase, which is what everyone was waiting for, is going to be held over for another week. Or more. Or possibly never!
“Hey, Great Khaleesi. Move your ass.”
Daenerys Targaryan is now back in Vaes Dothrak, after being told she’d be marched back to… Vans Dothrack. Although her Golden Girls-esque forced retirement as the a Dosh Khaleen isn’t quite as assured as it was made out to be, and has to be judged by the khalars to deem herself worthy of staying, what with her breaking Dothraki death protocol. We’re also not given any sort of updates on the whereabouts of Daario or Jorah, and Drogon has been out of the picture since the fifth season finale, so it’s not clear how long she’ll be dealing with all this.
“You’re a true liberator, aren’t you?”
Varys once again proves his effectiveness as a schemer by promising sanctuary to a woman with a young son in exchange for some information about the Sons of the Harpy, and it’s damn good to see him doing what he’s best at. Especially considering his dialogue with Tyrion has been lacking of late. And it’s a good thing not every boat in the harbor was burned, otherwise this plan wouldn’t really come together.
“May it be the last thing they ever hear!”
Maybe it’s not Varys’ fault that the usually snappy back-and-forth between him and Tyrion hasn’t been up to snuff, as Tyrion proves himself to be completely incapable of a normal conversation that doesn’t include drinking (or hearing reports on The Unsullied’s patrols). Though Varys does give us the big reveal that all of Slavers’ Bay is funding the revolt against Daenerys, who was already not terribly well-received in Mereen and is now missing. Essentially, this digs them in deeper without any good way out.
It’s possible the dragons would be able to help in some way here, but we won’t know until at least next week.
“I want little birds in Dorne, in High Garden and in The North.”
Game of Thrones is still at its best when it plays with the illusion of power despite, or because of, someone’s name. Cersei and Jamie try and crash the meeting of the Small Council, before they’re all but mocked and ostracized by its members, who all seem alarmingly casual about the whole ‘our city has been taken over by religious fanatics’ thing.
“Her love for you is more real than anything in this world.”
Mother’s Day, courtesy of Game of Thrones. Tommen storms into The High Sparrow’s chambers and calmly, effortlessly manipulates the literal boy-king with a few bubbly statements about how much she loves him.
I actually miss Joffrey in situations like this.
“That’s a short list. That can’t be everyone you’d like to kill.”
After two episodes with her outcast as a beggar, Arya’s back in the House of Black and White back to learning how to be no one with renewed vigor (and, eventually, restored vision). We’re given a well-crafted montage where Arya talks about her family, none of whom she’s seen since her father’s execution. It isn’t until she runs through her death list, however, that the scene culminates into one of the show’s great moments, when Arya reveals why she removed The Hound from it. With that, we see the alternately merciless and defiant young Stark convincingly become No One.
“Your father was a cunt. That’s why you killed him.”
With his father, Roose Bolton, out of the picture, Ramsay looks to be moving quickly to get the great Houses of the North in order. It turns out, there’s a lot of second-generation Northerners who couldn’t wait to shed their alliance to the Starks. First, Lord Karstark comes around after some fallout that goes back to the War of the Five Kings, now Smalljon Umber comes to arrogantly pledge his House banner, but not at all with any customary tradition.
Rather than kneel to a murdering bastard (legitimized or not), Smalljon instead gives him a gift — Rickon Stark and the Wildling Osha, who’d sought the protection of the Umbers back in season three under Bran’s instruction. It just goes to show you that, if there’s a Stark left alive, things can always get worse for you. Also, RIP Shaggydog.
“My watch has ended.”
Leave it to Game of Thrones to have you mourning a direwolf one second, then cheering on the death of a 12-year-old kid who’s being executed in the next. That and Jon Snow calls it as far as his duty to the Night’s Watch is concerned and heads out. At least he found a loophole to the whole being dead thing.
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