[rating=8.00]Â “Book of Strangers”
While it takes its title from another one of the long-winded, televangelist-esque speeches from The High Sparrow, “Book of the Stranger,” it speaks instead to the reunions between not only siblings (Jon and Sansa, Yara and Theon, Margaery and Loras), but Daenerys Targaryan and her long-forgotten tribe. Going against the grain set by season six so far, this week manages to utilize them to move the show forward, as they each set off a chain of events leading to a number of wars on the horizon (but not the army of zombies, though they did get brought up in passing).
“Should we throw him through the moon door?”
Speaking of reunions Littlefinger shows up at long last, wasting his manipulation skills on Robin Arryn, the still dull-witted Lord of the Vale who hasn’t gotten any better at much of anything since we last saw him. Littlefinger, in the meantime, truly enjoys gloating over his absolute power, given that he has Robin’s ear. With little more than a suggestion, Littlefinger continues his elaborate scheme (that started back before the pilot episode with the poisoning of Robin’s father, Robert) to take control of the seven kingdoms, this time riding back toward Winterfell with the Knights of the Vale.
“You won’t use them, they will use you. It’s what they do.”
Tyrion attempts some diplomacy with the rest of the Masters of Slavers’ Bay, despite the protests of Grey Worm, particularly over the option to phase slavery out over the course of the next seven years. Tyrion just doesn’t have that same spark he had back in King’s Landing, even when he was the put-upon dwarf under his father’s tenure as Hand of the King. And his inability to make a convincing case to anyone, particularly Grey Worm, really underscores that.
Also, no mention of the two dragons since their dramatic unchaining.
“We can do more than that, and you’re going to help me.”
Remember back when Jamie and Bronn snuck into Dorne for that disastrous fight scene with the Sand Snakes? We get something similar with Jorah and Daario sneak into Vaes Dothrak (and they take their sneaking very seriously) to find Daenerys. Daario being Daario breaks protocol and brings in his knife into the sacred city that leads to some head-bashing. The Khals gotta have something to talk about at their big meeting later.
“He was a simple man, who made simple shoes…”
Fuck The High Sparrow and fuck his long-winded speeches. This storyline has done nothing but take its sweet time convincing itself of its own probability. Still, we get an upside to things when Margaery plays along with the idea of atonement in order to see her brother, Loras, who’s nearly broken by the whole endeavor. Again, it’s good to see some duplicitous scheming going on as the show gradually ebbs its way back into clever storytelling.
“He wants to knock them down and replace them — with what?”
Cersei really seems to be pulling herself together as we enter mid-season. While she’s still careful, and you can tell that the persistent recollection of the prophecy is still eating away at her. Still, her and Jamie crash the Small Council meeting and point out how their internal squabbling has allowed for The High Sparrow’s takeover. Jamie thinks he’s found a loophole where House Tyrell attacks The Faith Militant on behalf of King.
It’s also great to have Olenna Tyrell pissed off and dolling out lines like “many people will die no matter what we do.”
“You think any Ironborn wants you to be king?”
Short of him being killed, Theon’s homecoming goes about as terribly as planned. Though he does throw his endorsement behind his sister, Yara, for the Kingsmoot. The Ironborn have weird names for things — which is saying something.
“The Starks have been gone for a long time.”
Well, that was quick. No sooner did we get the head of Shaggydog unceremoniously plopped on the table in front of Ramsay Bolton with the return of Rickon and Osha, Osha gets taken out in a terribly botched assassination attempt. Just your weekly reminder that Game of Thrones will always hurt you.
Also, Ramsay peels the skin off apples. What a monster.
“You are the last son of the last true warden of the north.”
The Jon/Sansa reunion continues to play out at Castle Black, with Jon Snow still determined to wander south with his sister, he still takes the scroll as their Lord Commander. It’s classic Ramsay, bringing up all his favorite talking points as he baits Jon Snow into battle. He seems surprisingly reluctant, given that Rickon, their brother, is being held in the dungeon of their formal home.
When asked about the Wildling army, Tormund stops eye-fucking Brienne long enough to assess they’re outnumbered more than two-to-one. Sansa seems determined that their family’s near-forgotten legacy will rally houses of the North behind them. It’s unclear if she’s aware of how both the Umbers and the Karstarks have shifted allegiances very recently.
“You are all small men.”
After having a rough go of it as a leader in Mereen, Daenerys really got her groove back once she’s back home with the Dothraki and being able to prove her resilience to fire and really live out (at least part of) her namesake. Doing so not only looked cool, but gives Daenerys control of a massive army that might prove Tyrion’s diplomacy as unnecessary.
Also, a clear nod back to her emergence from the funeral pyre at end of the first season, but now with a much bigger effects budget.
