What a difference a dead dad makes. Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion are all having a completely different season than last year. All because they get to make their own fuck ups, instead of hanging around King's Landing bitching about everything. What a difference a dead knight-for-babysitter makes. With The Hound gone, Arya is no longer wandering in search of a plot. What a difference a dead King-Beyond-The-Wall makes. What a difference a soon-to-be-gone King makes. With Mance Rayder executed, and Stannis more worried about leaving to take Winterfell from the Boltons, Jon can get to the work of running the Night's Watch. What a difference a lost spymaster makes. Now, Tyrion must go back to living by his wits. What a difference a lost family makes. Sansa is reclaiming her family heritage, on her terms.
The authority figures are all gone; we are left with characters who have learned the fine art of muddling through, and intend to do it to their utmost. The episode presents characters in pairs, and lets them play off each other. Jon and Sam, then Jon and Melisandre. Stannis and Shireen, who share a brief warmness while a cold, snowy Castle Black looms around them. Jaime and Bronn play off each other every waking moment. Cersei and her newest would-be lackey, the High Sparrow, dance around each other. Dany and Selmy, and then Selmy and Grey Worm. Tommen and Margaery. Petyr and Sansa.
The only bigger grouping is that of Ellaria Sand, her daughter Ellia (the youngest with short hair), and her "step-daughters", Nym (the whip wielder), and Oberra (the spear thrower). All the young women are the daughters of Prince Oberyn, dead by trial by combat against The Mountain. And all the women want revenge, and are willing to bring war to get it.
With Lord Mace Tyrell sailing to Braavos and unable to help his children should they need him, Cersei's uses the High Sparrow to close Petyr Littlefinger's brothel and arrest Loras, her own betrothed (well, probably not now; that's one way to get out of an engagement). It has the bonus of ending Tommen and Margaery's honeymoon. The new, head-stamped Faith Militant, armed with hand weapons and self-righteousness, resemble a Westerosi version of the Taliban, ruining everyone's good time. The men at Littlefinger's brothel there for gay sex get the worst of it. Lancel isn't the quiet young man he was at Tywin's funeral. He's one of the most spiteful of them all.
Cersei thinks she's getting ahead; but how many of King's Landing will turn against her, since on top of everything else, they must now endure the morality police? And, how long does she think Tommen will back down and displease his wife? Cersei has boxed her own son up, leaving him no good choices. He can order the Kingsguard to slay the Faith Militant so he can demand Loras be released, or back down and face Margaery's contempt, as well as admit to the populace that he'll run like a mouse away from their now openly shouted accusations against his mother. Surrounded by his Kingsguard, he doesn't have to fear being harmed- but the crowd's open contempt of his mother and true parentage have him realizing his reign really isn't secure.
Margaery, instead of pouting and withholding, should really be handling this for him. Then, she could present it to Tommen as a means of securing his complete trust and loyalty. She's just as clever as Cersei, if less experienced. And, she should know Cersei's weaknesses by now. Cersei's already put herself in danger; Lancel knows her past adultery, and how Robert Baratheon really died. With the crowds of King's Landing openly insulting her son as a product of incest, how long until the High Sparrow comes for the Dowager Queen?
At the Wall, a different King gets ready to roll. With the snows of winter already at Castle Black, Stannis should already have left to make the trudge to Winterfell easier. But, there are still some scenes to play out. Jon has to decisively reject Melisandre; and Stannis has to have some quality time with Shireen. Their scene is the second description of Grayscale this season; Gilly described the end of the disease last week. This week, Stannis describes the beginning. He could have learned to avoid all displays of affection after his first one went so disastrously. Instead, he's spent her childhood seeing to her every need, raising her to be a good-natured, mature young woman. Stannis isn't one for hugs, but Shireen's whole-hearted embrace can't be refused. Not even at gloomy Castle Black.
Far away from the shafts of sunlight interrupted by snowflakes, Ser Jorah "commandeers" a fishing boat for his and Tyrion's use. Separated from Varys, boredom and apathy quickly leave Tyrion and now that he's sober, his mind goes to work. From Jorah's armor, he figures out who his kidnapper is. And, he even figures out what direction they're going to. When Jorah only tells him that he's taking Tyrion to Queen Danaerys Targaryen, Tyrion breathes a sigh of relief. He tries to assure Jorah that's where he was going anyway, but Jorah's not in a trusting mood.
Jorah's funk makes Tyrion's mind work again, and he also quickly deduces that his new traveling companion is a desperate man. Tyrion, after he comes to, is going to be working on a way to make sure Jorah is executed while Tyrion is brought into her inner circle. Getting kidnapped is the best thing that could have happened to him. Without Varys to arrange everything, Tyrion will have to use his head, or lose it.
Sansa, now home at the new Winterfell, now the seat of Roose Bolton and his heir Ramsay Bolton, makes a stop at the underground crypts of Winterfell. Last used when Bran and Rickon hid from Theon Greyjoy among the tombs and statues, Sansa is now trying to re-enact her father's old habit of visiting the statue of Lyanna Stark.
Petyr joins her in her vigil; together, they recite the sad history of house Stark. Lyanna, Ned Stark's sister, was engaged to Robert Baratheon, who loved her passionately. Lyanna and just about every other noble person in Westeros turned out for the last turney before Robert's Rebellion, when all the fighting would be real. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, eldest son of the Mad King, won all his matches, even against famed Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard. It must have been a good-natured jousting, as we find out later in the episode the two were good friends. Prince Rhaegar was married with two kids back then (to Oberyn's sister, Ellia), but that didn't stop him from presenting his trophy to Lyanna Stark, instead of his own wife. The insult wasn't just to his wife, or Lyanna, or House Stark. House Baratheon was insulted as well.
Rhaegar must have known what he was doing, and risking, that day. To insult the Houses of Martell, Stark, and Baratheon in one move was foolish for a Crown Prince who would need loyal noblemen one day. It was an injury to Lyanna, as she was pretty much forced to accept a gift from a man not her betrothed. To make it worse, that one incident wasn't enough. Rhaegar ended up later absconding with Lyanna, whisking her away. This led to Houses Baratheon and Stark rebelling against the Mad King. And, led House Lannister to the slaughter of Princess Ellia and her children. And Oberyn's attempted revenge a generation later.
Houses Baratheon and Stark were convinced that Lyanna was kidnapped and raped. But, there's no record of Lyanna's will in all this. Maybe because she was a woman, maybe because no one had the chance to ask her anything in the fighting. What we know, is that when Robert's Rebellion didn't end, Rhaegar himself joined the fight against the Rebels, culminating in his 'bout with Robert Baratheon, and his end from Robert's hammer. Ned later found Lyanna stashed away in Dorne, guarded by a few knights loyal to Rhaegar. He had only hours with her; she died of some untreated disease, but not before extracting a promise out of Ned. A promise that Stannis hints at, briefly, tonight.
Stannis isn't convinced that Jon is Ned's bastard. Sure, he looks like Ned. But, Ned never bedded prostitutes, and there was no time for torrid love affairs during the Rebellion. No, Stannis is already wondering if, maybe, Jon isn't Ned Stark's son but his nephew. Which would make his father... well, you can guess. I hope.
Sansa doesn't sound so convinced that Lyanna was raped; she can only repeat what her father told her. And adopt a new reserve around Littlefinger, even after he kisses her. Sansa's still wearing her raven's feather necklace, a trophy of surviving the Eyrie. But she can't guarantee that she'll be willing to wait for Littlefinger's schemes to come to fruition. She doesn't even promise to wait until Stannis' army shows up and makes her the Wardeness of the North. She can only suspect that she'll be married, with her own problems, and no time for Littlefinger, when he eventually gets back from King's Landing. Whenever that will be. I really hope Littlefinger isn't expecting to stay in his brothel when he arrives in King's Landing.
Bronn and Jaime arrive in Dorne, secretly. Or, so Jaime thought. While on the merchant ship, waiting for their adventure to begin, Bronn moans that they'll be doing way more fighting than fucking, while Jaime mutters that he has no love for Tyrion anymore. Something about killing their dad on the shitter. They spend their first day in Dorne napping, then trading preferred deaths over a snake dinner.
Bronn's way of dying is watch his spoiled sons fight over his wealth in his old age. Jaime's a little disappointed- nothing chivalrous, or even maybe dashing? Bronn's had dashing, and has no use for chivalry. Nope, a nice easy death after all the fighting he's had to do will suit him fine.
When the dynamic duo realize the Dornish authorities are already looking for them, it leads to Bronn having to save the day. Or, rather, three-quarters of the day. Bronn manages to kill two of the armed riders who confront them, hobble one's horse, and take care of his third, all while Jaime rolls around in the sand trying not to get killed by the one Bronn left for him to deal with. All while discovering a use for his fake gold hand. Turns out, it's a nifty shield and sword trap, enabling him to skewer his opponent easily. Bronn's slightly impressed, though pissy about having to dig four graves.
Jaime is right to be trying to get Myrcella back to King's Landing. And, they're right to leave no trace of their fight today; Ellaria Sand is already plotting her revenge, and already receiving word that Jaime Lannister has arrived in Dorne. Nym Sand has quite a way of interrogating snitches. It involves a shovel, a rope, and some scorpions. Don't ever go to the beach with this woman. Ellia Sand is willing to do whatever her mother asks. And Oberra decided long ago to fight her way through her troubles. She makes her point by perfectly aiming her spear at the snitch's head. It's a beautiful shot that creates a shit way to die.
Dany hopes the view from her balcony of a peaceful city is real. And, it does appear to be settling down. Dany gets another history lesson from Selmy today, this time kind of a funny one, about her eldest brother Rhaegar. Turns out, that besides fighting, Rhaegar could sing. Not like Frank Sinatra, but he usually pulled in some coins when he gave it a go on the streets of King's Landing. Selmy has a laugh to himself as he reminisces how Rhaegar never actually kept the money, usually giving it away or getting himself and Selmy good and drunk.
Mereen's sequence, tonight, shows Hizdhar Lo Loraq, once again asking Dany to open the fighting pits of Slaver's Bay. It's a place for men to win glory; Dany isn't swayed. The degrading nature of fighting to the death for one's daily bread doesn't make up for the glory it wins men who win to fight tomorrow. Dany's about to get a fighting pit she, nor Grey Worm, counted on.
The fight scene itself is a messy, bloody, painful study of Grey Worm's triumph through skill and will. Selmy hears the commotion and goes toward the danger everyone else is running from. He's happy to join the fight, and the masked Harpy Sons go down one by one. Even after Grey Worm has been viciously stabbed, he stays up to fight. Even when Selmy is surrounded, he keeps striking masked enemies. Selmy goes down, stabbed in the chest, by one of the last masked Harpy Sons; Grey Worm sees, stabs Selmy's murderer, and collapses himself, next to Selmy. But, not before gently resting his hand on Selmy. The man went down a badass. And, the next moment, so does Grey Worm. No one won the match in today's fight.
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