The penultimate episode of a season rarely disappoints us, but with the shorter format this year I wondered if they were going to save the best until last. If they did, it’ll have to be something truly special to beat out this week, because this week was something special. Perhaps it wasn’t “Battle of the Bastards” special, but it was definitely one of the most memorable episodes we’ve had.
It was one of those “special” episodes as well where we didn’t get transported all around and get to see bits from everyone, but rather it picked just a couple of points and really focused on those stories, and fortunately it’s two of the stories that I was most hyped to see. After last week’s ending it set this week up perfectly to go “Beyond the Wall” with Westeros’ own Suicide Squad, and as with all great suicide squads not everyone was destined to come back alive. The deaths we suffered were special as well, but I’ll get to that. First off, I’m going to start on the subplot of the episode with this week’s Talking Points.
Little Finger’s Manipulations Continue
Last week we saw what we thought was Arya Stark getting close to figuring out what Little Finger was up to. She seemed to be in full ninja mode, stalking him at every turn as he seemed to be working against Jon in turning the other houses against him and getting them to see Sansa as the true head of the family. But, as it turned out, he was in control the entire time…
This was the major subplot this week, and it only continued to build the stakes with what remains of the Stark family, focusing on Arya and Sansa and just how different they truly are. Then again, they’ve never been similar, have they? Even when the series began and they were just kids it was obvious that they had almost nothing in common. Sansa wanted to sit at the side of the king as his doting and beautiful wife, while Arya seemed only to be interested in learning to fight. Those differences were on full display this week as Arya confronted Sansa with the letter she found – or more accurately Little Finger led her to – and Sansa tried to make her excuses for sending it. As seen last week it was indeed the letter that Sansa sent to Robb, pleading with him to come to King’s Landing and bend the knee to Joffrey. As she read it aloud it was evident just what it meant to the two of them. Sansa was ashamed that she’d ever written it. Arya was also ashamed that her sister had written it, and not for a moment did she allow the excuse that Sansa was “just a child”. I found it funny that Sansa tried to argue that Arya didn’t do anything to help their father either. Sansa may have been a scared little girl but Arya was even younger, and still you had to believe Arya when she said that she’d never have betrayed their family like Sansa did.
If this was Little Finger’s plan then it’s working to perfection. Arya is now angry at her sister, and Sansa is fearful of exactly what it is that Arya will do. Who did she turn to in her need than Little Finger, undoubtedly exactly as he wanted. She was shunning him a few episodes ago, she still thinks she can control him, but he’s getting everything he wanted. And he gets to whisper in her ear, asking her what she thinks Arya will do. He’s right as well. If she shows the letter to Jon then Jon will likely see Sansa’s side. He probably won’t be happy about what she did, but he’ll likely see that she was just a child and he won’t see it as the betrayal that Arya does. Sansa has grown up a lot since then after all. She was easily manipulated then. Now… well, I guess she’s still easily manipulated. But Jon could forgive that, even if Arya can’t. The first scene between the sisters was beautiful though. I loved the story of her father watching her as Arya shot the same arrow over and over until she finally hit the target, and then applauding her. It seemed like something that Ned would have done for his daughter, after all Ned was the one who hired the trainer to teach her to fight. What would he think now, I wonder? What would he think of how either of his little girls have ended up?
Little Finger manipulated Sansa to perfection however, even going so far as to mention Brienne and her pledge to protect BOTH of the girls. If anything happened between them then Brienne would be duty bound to stop it, to keep the peace between them, to remind them that they are family… and yet the first opportunity that arose, after the raven delivered a well-timed invite from King’s Landing, Sansa sent Brienne away to attend the meeting for her. Brienne clearly didn’t want to go either, but what else could she do? She can see how much Little Finger is in Sansa’s head, but Sansa is too proud or too arrogant to see it too. The question I kept asking myself during this was how legitimate is the invitation? We know Cersei has to be planning something for when that ship arrives with the proof that Tyrion promised. No way is she unprepared. Did she actually send the invite, thinking she could get Sansa there to manipulate her or hold her captive and make Jon surrender to protect her? Or is Brienne going to get to King’s Landing and find that there was no invite sent, and that Little Finger planned THAT as well to get rid of her? I’m actually betting on the latter at this point, given that Little Finger clearly has a plan that we’re not privy too yet, and I get the feeling that it’s working all too well.
The Game of Faces
How creepy is Arya becoming? She’s seriously upping her game in her level of sheer psycho with each passing week, and this week was no exception, giving that final scene in Winterfell a Talking Point of all it’s own.
I could have included this above, but it really did deserve it’s own mention. Sansa creeping into Arya’s room and going through her stuff was a not-unexpected step from the “Lady of Winterfell”. What was she doing there? What was she hoping to find? She’s clearly scared of what Arya is going to do with that note, so was she there looking for something she could use against her sister? Was she hoping to find something to blackmail Arya into keeping quiet? Did she come up with that idea by herself, or did Little Finger put that in her head as well? When the camera panned up to reveal Arya standing in front of the closed door though it gave me goosebumps. Did she just walk in silently and shut the door behind her, or was she there the whole time watching her sister? Either way she didn’t seem at all rattled by the fact that Sansa had uncovered what was a bag of faces, including the face of Walder Frey, happily reminding us of the epic moment that started off the season. While Arya didn’t seem rattled by what Sansa had found, Sansa certainly seemed confused by it, and Arya just responded with one of her most creepy moments to date.
I loved that she explained the rules of the Game of Faces and then asked Sansa if she wanted to play, with the first question being who she thought should be ruling Winterfell instead of Jon. I would have been curious how Sansa would have answered if she didn’t change the subject to asking Arya questions. If Sansa knew, as Arya referenced, how poor that worked out for the last person who asked her questions then she likely wouldn’t have asked. Arya confronting Sansa though, reminding her of who she was and the difference between them, telling Sansa that she wanted to sit at the side of the king and wear the pretty dresses, and then musing how that would be if she cut off her face and became her… not going to lie I did think for a horrible moment that Arya might actually do it. Then when she turned the knife over to her sister and turned her back I held my breath again, wondering if Sansa would actually stab her sister in the back to protect herself. Thankfully she didn’t. Still, this series of scenes was amazing and I really want to know where it’s going to go from here. Are we going to get more from the chaos in Winterfell next week, or are we done with the Stark sisters for this season? If this is it then I can’t wait to see what happens next season, but if there’s more to come from this story then I have a horrible feeling we may see the end of one of them in the season finale… or the end of Little Finger. I’m definitely on the edge of my seat for next week to see if we do get more, and what happens.
Walking’s Good, Fighting’s Better, Fucking’s Best!
There were so many incredible lines this week, but this one delivered by Tormund as he explained ho to keep warm in beyond the wall, may have been my favourite in terms of comedy. It’s not quite the line of the week however. I’ll get to that one later.
This opening walk through the frozen wasteland beyond the wall was a nice scene setter though, not only to give us some interactions between characters who’ve never interacted before, and help build the stakes with the group of them bonding, but also to remind us of just how far these characters have come and their intertwined histories. Tormund talking about Brienne, and how he wants to have babies with her (and how big and strong they’d be), was both hilarious and a nice reminder of the clash between the Hound and Brienne in the past. Plus it gave us the line “it’s gingers I hate” found the Hound, which made me laugh aloud. Gendry confronting (or whinging, if you believe The Hound) the Brotherhood Without Banners about selling him in the past was again a nice reminder of the conflicts that he’s faced, and also a nice reminder of our history with Beric and Thoros. It was Jon’s interactions with the group that were most interesting out of all of them though. His talking with Tormund, for example, was perfect for setting up where Jon is at right now. Tormund and Jon spoke about Dany asking Jon to “bend the knee”, and Tormund claiming that Jon’s spent too much time with the free folk and now “doesn’t like kneeling” was great. What made that conversation for me though was his mentioning of Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall, who also didn’t like kneeling due to his pride, and just how many people died for that pride. In one short conversation I think Jon’s perspective on what he should do in terms of his alliance with Dany became that much simpler for him… for now. Of course that may all change if and when he finally learns that he’s not Ned Stark’s bastard but the true-born son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark and thus has more claim to the throne than Dany does.
That wasn’t the only conversation that Jon had beyond the wall that was of major interest however, as his other one with Jorah was just as juicy in terms of continuing their character development. Jon decided to hand back Longclaw to who he viewed as it’s rightful owner, and it was a great moment for both he and Jorah. Jorah hearing about the death of his father, and admiring the sword he hasn’t seen in so long, his father’s weapon, was a cool moment. What was cooler, however, was him giving Jon back the sword and saying that he’d forfeited his right to it. He could easily have taken it back, I don’t think anyone would have blamed him for doing so, but it showed the kind of character he’s become in refusing it and giving it to Jon, believing Jon was a better man to wield it than him, believing that his father wanted Jon to have it and telling Jon to pass it along to his children. Not the only time that children are mentioned in this episode. I can’t help but think this line was planted here on purpose to get us thinking about Jon’s future children, and whom their mother might be that he passes the sword down to. In fact, part of me wonders if Jorah thought about that as well, given that I doubt Dany is ever far from his thoughts.
Death Is The Enemy
It’s a line said In another conversation Jon had beyond the wall, this time with Beric about the two of them being brought back by the Lord of Light and trying to find their purpose. It was another great line to help Jon along his path to the episode’s conclusion, but it’s also so very true when you’re north of the wall!
It was almost a foreboding line as well given what happened the moment the action started. The bear being seen in the background, and then coming out of nowhere to kill the Wildling who was with them, was fantastic. Hell, the bear itself looked amazing. Seeing it all torn apart, missing fur but still ripping people down, was an amazing sight. Yet watching Thoros sacrifice himself to save the Hound was meaningful moment. I’m not sure if he MEANT to sacrifice himself but seeing the Hound just sat there staring, unable to act to help him while he held off the bear initially and finally got bitten by it, was hard to watch. I’m still not used to seeing the Hound so helpless. Makes me wonder if that’s what’s ultimately going to cost him his life, or if he’s going to snap out of it the next time and go old-school on someone. Yet it didn’t matter here as he was helpless but to sit and watch as Thoros was mauled and the bear was ultimately killed, even though it took out a few of the nameless Wildlings before it died. I liked that though. I liked the fact that the bear mauled some nameless individuals who were with them as it added to the power of just one of these creatures, and teased what was still to come.
And oh boy what was still to come. When we saw that group of them marching, and the question was asked where the rest were, it was perhaps a question they should have thought more carefully about. The group ambushing the Whitewalker was really cool, and seeing so many of them fall when Jon shattered the Whitewalker undoubtedly gave a new aspect to the way that the dead operate. Kill those who turned them and all those turned will fall? At least that makes it slightly easier for how they can defeat the whole army of the dead, right? Sure, all you’ve got to do is get close enough to the Night King to kill him, and actually kill him. That seems not at all impossible, especially when killing just one of his minions was hard enough. They really should have thought through the capturing of the solo one that was left however, shouldn’t they? Hearing it screaming out for help, and then watching as the whole fucking army descended on them, made me really think they were doomed. They weren’t wrong about Gendry being the fastest though. How long did it take the group to get to where they were in contrast to how quickly Gendry got back to the wall? Ok, so our concept of how long things took was a little skewed by the switching scenes and the difficulty in telling how much time passed, but I’m going to assume it was still a hell of a distance for him to run back. Thank god the rest found that lake with the shattering ice to hide out in the middle of, right?
Bad Hound! Very Bad Hound!
Earlier, while they were walking, Tormund called the Hound “the dog”, which made me laugh. But by god is the Hound a dumbass when it came to throwing the stones at the dead. Why would you even do something that stupid?
So, let’s talk about the group stranded on that little island in the middle of the frozen lake, surrounded on all sides by one of the coolest freaking scenes in the history of the show with the dead all around them. “Death is the enemy” indeed. Seeing Thoros’ passing was a little sad. I wasn’t that attached to the character, but to know they’d lost a Red Priest, leaving only Meliandre left now with a connection to the Lord of Light (if we need more resurrecting) was the truly sad part. It also now means, as was pointed out, that Beric is now on his final life. No more resurrections for him. That only makes it more idiotic then when the Hound started throwing stones. When he nailed the one and knocked it’s jaw off I did laugh. When he picked up the second rock and got ready to throw it I had a bad feeling about it though. Maybe it was the sense of dread we got before that. Maybe it was because we knew that the battle had to come soon. Either way the moment that rock landed I muttered “here we go” to myself and we got to see the dead approach, slowly at first and then ever faster, rushing the island in all their numbers.
I honestly thought that Tormund was done for at one stage. I knew there would be deaths this episode – it’s not a penultimate episode without them – and somehow I doubted that Westeros’ Suicide Squad would all come back alive. Losing Thoros was one thing, but losing Tormund would have sucked. Seeing him overwhelmed, crying out for someone to help him, I genuinely did think that he was going to die right there, but then the Hound came to someone’s rescue this episode and saved him and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I’m not ready for Tormund to die yet. Hell, I’d prefer he doesn’t die at all. As the dead closed in more and more and we got to see the remaining nameless Wildlings each die in horrific ways (the one that fell and was torn to pieces while Jon watched on helplessly was particularly brutal) it seemed more and more like the end of our heroes. We knew it couldn’t be though. We knew that there had to come a rescue, didn’t we? Of course there did. We couldn’t lose that many major players all at once, even if it would have made the army of the dead a truly unstoppable force. But before we get to that, let’s go back a bit…
He’s Too Little For Me
One of my favourite scenes this episode was undoubtedly the scene between Dany and Tyrion. It did so much with such a basic concept, it had Tyrion do exactly what Varys told him to last time in trying to find a way to “control” Dany (and failed), but it also revealed a few major things. First off, Dany has a major crush on Jon. But more importantly, Dany can’t have kids?!
That came as something of a surprise to me. I had to think back for a moment to why and when, and the answer to both was obvious, only I don’t remember it being explicitly stated in the show. I do remember Dany giving up her unborn son to try to save her love (and who wouldn’t want to save Khal Drogo? Hmm, it’s possible I let my love for Jason Momoa leak into too many blog entries?), and I remember the old witch who screwed her over, but I didn’t remember her explicitly stating that that left Dany unable to have more children. I wondered at first if it was something else I’d missed, or if I’d just mis-remembered that scene. Apparently not. Apparently it was stated in the books but not outright stated in the show. And even when it was stated in the books it was said more like a curse/prophecy, and we all know how reliable those things are, don’t we? Still, it makes me sad that Dany thinks that she can’t have more children. That only added to the drama of these scenes with Tyrion though, as Tyrion confronted Dany over so many things. He confronted her over her killing of the Randyll and Dickon Tarly last week. As always Tyrion had a point. Did she need to kill both of them? Would time in a cell not have acted to help them see the error of their ways? We’ll never find out now, will we?
Dany clearly didn’t like being confronted by Tyrion, yet you can’t help but think she needs him more than ever right now because he’s the only one who will stand up to her like that, and that’s why he’s the Hand of the Queen. As much as I don’t think she likes to be questioned, and she likes to follow her heart and do what she views necessary, I think she still respects Tyrion more than anyone else. Her refusal to name an heir however was interesting. Is it something that she’s just not thinking about? Is it something she’s refusing to think about because she’s upset that she can’t have children? Is it something she has thought about and just isn’t willing to reveal at that stage? Or is it something she won’t do because we’ll soon find out that in spite of the curse put on her in her attempt to save Drogo she’s actually going to fall pregnant before the series is over? God I hope so! I’m not sure who I want to be the father – Jon Snow is obviously the top contender, but dammit I miss Daario. I’m kind of hoping he’ll disobey his orders to stay where he was and show up again at some point to help her. He was a great character and now that Dany’s clearly falling for Jon, and Tyrion pointed out that Jon is the latest in the line of heroic men to fall for Dany (“I suppose he stares at you longingly because he’s hopeful for a successful military alliance”) wouldn’t it make a great scene to see Daario and Jon face to face?
Sometimes Nothing Is The Hardest Thing To Do
Another epic line, spoken by Tyrion to Dany while he’s trying to convince her NOT to go and help Jon and the others. They knew what they were getting into after all, and he’s worried about what’ll happen if Dany’s luck runs out and she’s taken out. Can’t blame him for that. But Dany isn’t the kind to just sit by and do nothing, and that’s why we love her.
We can all be thankful that she decided not to sit by and do nothing as well, because the guys on the island were completely out of time when Drogon showed up and Jon had to duck out of the way as fire rained down on the dead and knocked back their army. What a fantastic moment, and the CGI in that moment was absolutely world class as well. I loved the scenes with Drogon from before, these scenes however were even better, and this was the first time that we got to see all three dragons together, raining hell on their enemies at the command of the Mother of Dragons. What a scene it was as well. While our group of heroes killed off the ones that got through the dragons just decimated the army of the dead… but a few weeks ago, when we discussed this possibility of the dragons just going and burning down the dead, I said to my friend that I was afraid what could happen there. I asked him “can you imagine if they turn one of the dragons?” Oh god, sometimes I HATE being right!
The fight had swung in their favour, Dany was about to airlift the entire group to safety, and then one of the greatest (and worst) moments in the show’s history happened. With one throw of one spear the Night King did what nobody else has even come close to doing. He killed a dragon! I couldn’t believe it at first. I was begging him to get back up even as he smashed into the ground and both remaining dragons roared. I was thankful it wasn’t Drogon, don’t get me wrong. Rhaegal (named for Rhaegar, her oldest brother and Jon’s father) and Viserion (named for Viserys, the brother we knew who sold her to Drogo and paid for his petulance) have been pretty quiet and not made as epic a presence, but still they’ve been important characters even in their lack of major involvement. I didn’t want to see any of them die, least of all because they’re Dany’s children (the only ones she thinks she’ll ever have) and yet to see Viseron crash down and slowly slip into the water dead, and the look of shock on everyone’s face and heartbreak on Dany’s, was truly touching. I couldn’t believe it when it happened, especially with the ease with which the Night King did it. Then when we went for a second spear I was just praying that he wouldn’t hit Drogon!
Fortunately he didn’t, Drogon managed to turn and avoid it, and they almost all got away, aside from poor Jon who got knocked into the water and left for dead. What a brilliant moment that was as well. They circle a little just to see if he’s going to have survived but he’s still submerged, possibly lost to them forever, and they depart again, preparing to leave while Dany stands watch at the edge of the wall, still hopeful that he’ll come back. She had no right to believe he would, it was just pure hope that kept her there as long as it did, and that again just shows us how much Jon has come to mean to her. But as for Jon…
Uncle Benjen’s Last Stand
We haven’t seen a great deal of Benjen Stark in the show. He was all but forgotten at one stage, just disappeared from the story and from our minds only to show up right as one of his nephews needed him and save Bran from certain death. Well, he makes a habit of that…
As Jon struggled to stay upright I did wonder what was going to happen. Part of me wondered if we were going to see Rhaegar swoop down and pick him up, or land and let Jon ride him to safety. That would have been an incredible moment right there if Jon had ridden a dragon. That didn’t happen, but instead we were treated to the perfectly timed return of Benjen Stark once again, riding in on horseback to save his nephew. You could argue that it was a great case of deus ex machina with him showing up right when he was needed, but I’ll defend the show and the writing on this point. We know, based on when he saved Bran, that Benjen has clearly been keeping an eye on the army of the dead. It would have made sense that he’d stay out of the way when the army was in full force and at the edge of the lake. What could he have actually done then? But when he saw his nephew all alone and so relatively few of them closing in on him why not come out of hiding to help? I think his rescue of Jon therefore makes sense in terms of the plot, but what didn’t make sense to me is why he elected not to get on the horse with Jon. Jon even asked him to, and instead he decided to stay behind. Could the horse not have carried both of them? Even if it couldn’t run as fast they’d still have been able to outrun the dead. And yes, Benjen couldn’t go beyond the wall because he’s half-white-walker and thus stuck there (explained to Bran before), but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have kept living?
His death – yet another who’s sacrificed themselves for Jon – seemed a little harsh, and made him the third character to have been killed by the army of the dead this episode. Still, of those three the most significant is Viseron, and I actually miss Viseron already. Then we cut to Dany standing waiting and hoping, and just as she turns her back we hear the horn sound and voices cry out and she turns relieved to see he’s still alive… but just. No matter what Jorah was thinking about his relationship with Dany at that point he had to know right there and then where Dany’s heart now lies, right? And if he didn’t then then it didn’t take much to see it on the boat. Still, on the boat there were a few momentous moments for us to get through. First off, there was Dany seeing the scars on Jon’s body. She now has to know that taking a knife to the heart wasn’t some metaphor.He really did it, and he has the scar to prove it. Does this mean she realises he was also resurrected? How will that play into the future? Then there was the fact that it was Dany waiting by his side when he awoke. There were so many on that boat who were Jon Snow’s friends and loyal companions, but it was Dany who was there when he awoke. That had to mean something to both of them! And then finally that amazing moment where he calls her Dany, she says he doesn’t want to be in the same company as the last person to call her that, and he suggests another name instead… my Queen!
Just thinking about that moment gives me goosebumps again. He bent the knee (well, he wasn’t capable of actually bending the knee, and even he joked about that) and that act of doing so, and telling her that his people would come to see why he had, obviously meant the world to her. It’s just another group that Dany’s won over (well, their leader so far at least) just by being herself, by doing what she believes in and by going above and beyond for the people she cares about. Jon knew that. The talk he’d had beyond the wall about Mance Rayder, Dany claiming she wasn’t sorry to have done what she did even after losing one of her children, and everything we’ve seen from their relationship thus far built up this moment to be damn near perfect. I really can’t imagine how this moment could have been any better, and the tears in her eyes said exactly how she felt. Her reaching for his hand also said how she felt though, and how he felt, and how everyone who’s wanted to see them together as the show has progressed likely feels, and it was a fantastic moment. It was a great moment for a penultimate episode, but one has to wonder if it’ll all go wrong again when they reach Kings Landing next week. How the hell is that going to go? Yet this episode wasn’t done just yet…
THAT ENDING!!
I’m reusing this title from Defenders because if the Defenders ending was amazing (see that Talking Points for the recap of that, and watch the damn show if you haven’t already) then this ending just damn near gave me chills.
As I said above, man I HATE being right sometimes! When you saw the dead with the chains pulling on something what was YOUR reaction? Mine was to lean forward in my chair with genuine chills running up and down my body. They couldn’t, could they? When he slipped away into the water I thought that at least he was gone, he’d slipped out of their grasp and thankfully he couldn’t be resurrected. Should have known better! Should have known that the Night King wouldn’t give up that easily. Then, as they haul Viseron’s dead body out of the water, and the Night King approached him and just laid one hand on him… oh goddamn if that wasn’t a moment of all moments for this show and any other! It’s amazing just how that moment felt. I could talk about it all night, because goosebumps doesn’t do it justice, and now it leaves me asking so many questions.
How is Dany going to feel when she sees Viseron, her child, fighting for the dead? How are his brother’s going to react to see him against them? Will they hesitate to attack one of their own, when you know that he won’t? Will this mean we’ll lose another dragon if we get a dragon versus dragon battle? Could Viseron kill Rhaegal, leaving Drogon to kill him and as the only dragon left standing? Please let Drogon survive! And how will Jon feel when he sees that rescuing him from beyond the wall only gave the Night King his greatest weapon to date? We also found out that Benjen couldn’t go beyond the wall presumably because of some magic preventing the White Walkers from crossing it, so what is their plan when they get to it? If they can’t go through it, will they just knock the damn thing down? And is Viseron the missing link in them doing exactly that? Do Wight Dragons breathe fire still, or do they breathe ice? What’s going to happen next week at Kings Landing? Will we see whatever Cersei is planning, and will the season end on that note or will the season end with the dead finally arriving at the wall, and maybe taking it down? Who else is going to die this season? And why the hell is the finale still a week away? It’s going to be torture waiting for it!
This episode was exciting, the events of it are things I’m going to be talking about for days, and I genuinely can’t wait until next week to see the season finale. Yes, this season has seemed hectic at times with less episodes (but it’s also meant less filler), but it’s been an adrenaline rush of excitement from the very beginning up to this point and I doubt next week will disappoint. There’s so many questions to ask and only one place to find our answers, and I can’t wait for next week. Hell, I’m so excited about it I was even thinking about doing a YouTube video to talk about the season in review, so we’ll see if that happens after next week’s episode. Until then I’ve been the Girl in the Pink Dress, and these are my Talking Points.