Warning: This post contains spoilers for the sixth season of Game of Thrones.
One of the biggest surprises of the seventh episode of Game of Thrones‘ sixth season came when Arya Stark
(Maisie Williams) was brutally stabbed by the Waif after the nameless
girl snuck up on her disguised as an old woman. After receiving multiple
wounds, Arya was able to escape her attacker’s hold long enough to jump
over the side of the bridge on which they were standing. She then
stayed underwater long enough for the Waif to presume she was dead
before emerging to straggle through the streets of Braavos.
While this scene seemed to bode extremely ill for the young Stark,
many fans believe that not all was as it appeared. Specifically, some
are speculating that Arya’s behavior before the attack indicates her
actions were all part of an elaborate ruse. “We are led to believe Arya
got stabbed, however there are some problems with what happened this
episode,” Reddit user iPlayNL wrote.
“First off, Arya seemed different from the start. Her scene with the
merchant, her walk all seemed very confident, which is unusual after the
events this season. … Also, where did she get the money from? Why was
she not carrying Needle [her sword] with her? How come after all she
knew about the faceless man she just stood there on a bridge not paying
any attention?”
Another Redditor expanded upon the same basic theory, positing that
Arya’s interaction with actress Lady Crane in the sixth episode was
integral to her plan. “We can assume she knows enough from training to
figure the waif will attack to the body,” passingwisdom wrote.
“So I believe she has 1 or more pigs blood pouches around her body. She
knows where and how to do this because last episode… she saved the
actress. The actress then provided her help to make the scene on the
bridge large and realistic. … She then leaves the water and leaves a
trail of blood…. to lead her [enemies] to her. Expecting an unarmed
(because she choose not to show needle during the fight scene) and
injured girl; they will instead walk down a dark alley and be met with
an uninjured girl who knows how to fight in the dark and carrying a
sword.”
Others believe the person stabbed on the bridge wasn’t Arya at all,
but rather Jaqen H’ghar disguised as her. “That wasn’t [A]rya. She would
have been carrying needle,” froschkonig wrote.
“She wasn’t aware that [Jaqen] said not to make her suffer, so making a
big show of her suffering doesn’t make sense. It was [Jaqen] testing
the waif, and by stabbing her in the stomach and not just slashing the
throat, she disobeyed orders just like arya did. [Jaqen] is gonna lay
some faceless justice down.”
Whatever the truth, the consensus remains that Arya will live to see
another day — and hopefully finally make it back to Westeros.
“No One,” the eighth episode of Game of Thrones‘ sixth season airs Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.
Game of Thrones season 6 episode 7 recap: The Hound is back - plus eight things we learnt
Yes, we've officially reached
Mid-Season Lull. This wasn't a terrible episode – the Hound is back ! –
but The Broken Man was nonetheless Game of Thrones at its most cautious
and meandering.
Pieces were manoeuvred on the
chessboard, a fuse was lit for conflagrations to come, a random topless
prostitute chucked in for old time’s sake. Once again there was a sense
Game of Thrones was steeling itself for battles – and expensive
set-pieces – chugging down the track. A storm is brewing – for now, we
were invited to enjoy what remains of the calm.
The Hound returns!
What strange sorcery was this – a cold opening? Amid the endless
beheadings, betrayals and nudity, we have always been able to count on
Game of Thrones kicking off with the anthemic swell of Ramin Djawadi’s
theme. However, the Broken Man earned its departure from convention by
giving us…the Hound! Left for dead by Arya at the end of series four,
Sandor Clegane lived – and, more than that, was fully-signed up to a
sack-cloth favouring peace cult. It has been a surprise-packed season
yet, even by the standards of recent reveals, here was an upset to
savour. Who wants to be the one to tell Arya?
Speaking of Arya…is the Stark princess about to be killed off?
This deep into Game of Thrones
it's increasingly straightforward to predict which characters are
crucial to the final resolution of George RR Martin’s bittersweet epic. Arya is clearly meant to see the thing through
and, riveting though it was to watch to watch her ambushed by the Waif,
it's hard to feel the Stark princess is in genuine danger. Yes, she's
been knifed and almost drowned – but it is going to take more than a
stabby-stabby encounter with the Faceless Men to scrub Arya from the
picture. You wonder why the show is even pretending that her survival is
in question.
Ian McShane was the perfect Game of Thrones tragic hero.
The
craggy veteran caused a stir earlier in the year when he dismissed Game
of Thrones as "tits and dragons" (not inaccurate yet missing the point
slightly). But he was perfect as the short-lived peacenik preacher
who had taken the Hound under his wing. Admittedly viewers of a certain
age will have felt they had stumbled upon that episode of Lovejoy where
McShane solves a murder among a club of medieval recreationists (the
mullet lives!).
For the rest, he was a unique prospect – a spiritual leader who did
not claim to have all the answers. Of course, this man of the cloth was
in the end hung from a post by the Brotherhood Without Banners, his
flock cruelly cut down – which rather took away from his hippy-dippy
message. How frustrating, moreover, that our introduction to McShane
should be a farewell too.
The Jaime-Bronn bromance is back on
The Kingslayer was wasted mooching around King's Landing whispering
icky nothings to Cersei. Leading the siege against the Blackfish, Jaime
was in his element and, presumably chuffed to be back in his cool
armour, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau chewed on the material with relish. With
trusty sellsword Bronn at his back Jaime cut a deliciously antiheroic
figure, especially in his face-off with the rebellious Lord Tully. With
the truly riveting action unfolding south of the Wall and at King’s
Landing, the Riverlands storyline looks like one massive placeholder on
the part of show-runners David Benioff and DB Weiss. Thank goodness
Jaime-Bronn (Jronn? Baime?) are on hand to make it all watchable.
Margaery is faking it to make it
Natalie Dormer continues
to excel as the elusive Margaery, the scheming queen ostensibly reborn
as an acolyte of the High Sparrow. Viewers of the opinion that her
conversion was a ruse were vindicated as she slipped a confirmatory note
to her aunt, Lady Olenna. It was meanwhile heartening to learn that
Margaery was exploiting her pretend religiosity to wriggle out of wifely
duties with boy-husband Tommen (prompting a toe-curling “is everything
alright in the bedroom department?” intervention from the High Sparrow).
One of the emerging themes of the season is brutalised women taking
ownership of their destiny. In her own subtle way Margaery is seizing
control of her fate as surely as Sansa and Arya.
Watch out Ramsay, the Wildlings are coming.
With Brienne no longer around as dreamy distraction, Tormund
Giantsbane had his head back in the game and was persuading his fellow
Wildlings to march with Jon Snow against House Bolton. This was heady
stuff, a sequence that could have felt perfunctory given real dramatic
weight. "Snooow" grunted Wun Wun the giant as he proclaimed his
allegiance – the best monosyllabic dialogue since (sob) Hodor's speech in episode five. We met Ser Jorah’s extended family.
Daniel Tuite as Lothar FreyCredit:
Helen Sloan/HBO
There was a great scene as Jon
and Sansa pleaded with the preteen head of House Mormont to ally against
Ramsay. She correctly pointed out that neither Jon (a bastard) or Sansa
(technically Mrs Ramsay Bolton ) were Starks. It was a moment for Ser
Davos to shine and persuade House Mormont to come on board – if not for
the good of the Starks, then to protect the North against the looming
White Walker threat. But.. but… what of family blacksheep Ser Jorah you
shouted at the screen? Had he sent word regarding his ongoing research
into the incurable Greyscale? Were he and Daenerys in a long-distance
relationship now? Hang Jon Snow’s leadership woes – these were the
questions that really needed answering.
Jon Snow's recruitment drive isn't going to plan
Sansa and Jon attempted to win over House GloverCredit:
Helen Sloan/HBO
"Where was King Robb when the Ironborn attacked this castle," asked
the head of House Glover. "I served House Stark once but House Stark is
dead.” Once again Game of Thrones reminded us of the great, grim truth
underpinning the series. Heroic deeds are good only for songs and boozy
reminiscing. It's what happens next that really counts. Jon Snow died
and returned, Sansa had survived Ramsay's depredations. Yet here they
were, begging the houses of the North to come to their side only to be
rebuffed at every turn. After overcoming impossible odds, might it be
the small details that prove their undoing? How very Game of Thrones
that would be.
Yara and Theon's plan is crazy - but it just might work
You don't have to be original to win the game of thrones - just quick
and ruthless So we learned as we caught up with Yara and Theon in an
excruciating brothel scene that mostly consisted of Theon pulling faces
as he remembered Ramsay had made sausage meat of his genitals (possibly
literally). They'd borrowed murderous uncle Euron Greyjoy's plan of
striking up an alliance with Daenerys across the Narrow Sea – she would
get the boats she needed to bring the Dothraki to Westeros, they would
have the use of her dragons as they reclaimed the Iron Islands. What
could possibly go wrong.
‘Game of Thrones’ recap: ‘The Red Woman’ is … an old woman
The season six premiere of “Game of Thrones” didn’t provide many answers. Or business much excitement. Some good throat-slitting and face-stabbing, yes. So we’ve got that going for us. Here’s what went down in the season’s first episode. (As always, read Alyssa Rosenberg’s review over at Act Four for further enlightenment.)
So what is the regard Melisandre?
The lasting image from this episode — one we definitely can’t show on this website — is surely our first probe the “real” Melisandre, all saggy and wrinkly and old as … we don’t quite know. There have been hints that she’s much older than she appears, and once she removed that ruby necklace in her private quarters of Castle Black, her true self emerged. And then meekly avert to bed, to get under the covers. Even if we don’t know exactly how Melisandre’s magic works, this is one of the clearest signs yet of her supernatural abilities.
[What’s the haddest a bearing on Melisandre?]
The assumption for the last 10 months — ever since Jon Snow got shanked to death — was that those supernatural abilities of hers would somehow help resurrect Jon. That hasn’t happened yet, but we seem expected heading in that direction, based on Davos’s late-episode hint. The noble Onion Knight is in possession of Lord Commander Snow’s body, having whisked it away to a bolted-shut room in Castle Black, where those loyal to the late Snow are plotting their next moves. Upon seeing his body, Melisandre tells the group that she saw him in the flames, fighting in Winterfell. “I can’t support the flames, but he’s gone,” Davos says.
Elsewhere in the Castle, Alliser Thorne admits he is the one who killed Jon. And he admits this was a treasonous act, but that everyone there is at the bottom of this as well. He defends his actions by saying that Jon was going to destroy the Knight’s Watch considering his intrude coordination with the Wildlings. “Lord Commander Snow did what he thought was right, I’ve actually about that. … What he thought was right budding the end of us,” Thorne tells the assembled. Somehow this seems to bring around the easily-swayed masses, who rabble-rabble themselves into agreement with Thorne’s assessment.
The loyal-to-Jon faction, led by Davos, Eddison, Ghost and a handful of others, know they are allergic it. Eddison prompt to fight to his death. “If you were planning to see tomorrow, you picked the wrong room,” Eddison says. When Thorne comes banging at ejection later, he tries to cut a haddest a bearing on Davos. Davos runs a hard bargain, though — he demands some mutton. (Hopefully better than the kind Holly makes.) As they discuss their options, Davos puts The Melisandre Option on the table. Eddison search what one redhead manage against 40 armed men. “You haven’t seen her do what I’ve seen her do,” he says. So let’s see it. Next week, ideally.
Brienne to the rescue
As the injured mounts, we are running out of heroes on this show. So it’s good to see one of them step up. Brienne of Tarth fulfills her long-awaited mission to rescue Sansa and pledge loyalty to her. She’s able agitation this because Theon/Reek helped Sansa escape from her comically cruel husband, Ramsay Bolton, who is going through a tough time right now being the escape of his wife (who he needs to produce offspring that would give him legitimate rule of the North) and the death of his partner in deranged depravity, Myranda. Ramsay briefly eulogizes Myranda (“there was nothing she wouldn’t do,” he says with a wicked smile, over her dead body) and promises to repay her pain a thousand times over. Coming from him that’s … frightening. But it’s not like Ramsay’s a very sentimental fellow — he acknowledge burial or cremation and goes with option C for dealing with her remains: feeding her to the hounds. “This is good meat,” he says. Fair point.
Sansa and Theon are running through the snowy forest, being tracked by Bolton men (and their hounds). After briefly finding shelter and catching their breath, they hear the trackers getting close. Theon urges Sansa to “go north, only north” towards Castle Black, where Jon will help her. About that…
As the trackers get closer, Theon promises to distract them and give her enough time to get away. This plan reinforce approximately 17 seconds, and just when it occur the pair will be dragged back to the Boltons (“I can’t wait to see what part Ramsay cuts off you already,” one of the trackers squelch Theon), Brienne and Podrick swoop in to the rescue. She kills a bunch of guys, Podrick gets some good stabbing in himself, and Brienne takes a knee to offer her services to Sansa. Sansa needs a little help reciting her acceptance of said offer, but these two are now, officially, a team.
Daenerys is (sort of) back where she started
The Khaleesi’s journey has almost brought her full circle. Once again, she finds herself with a Dothraki horde, only formerly she’s truly a prisoner. She’s handcuffed, whipped and sexually harassed en route see Khal Moro, the new leader of the horse lords (one who does not occur the founding guitarist of Jane’s Addiction). Upon being presented to Khal Moro, his wives (slaves? Companions? Some combination of the three?) suggest Dany is a witch and her head must be cut off. Khal Moro adopt just see her naked. (This all prefer a bit if a meta moment, considering all of Emilia Clarke’s recent public complaining about the gratuitous and unequal nudity on the show.)
Dany shows off her Dothraki language chops and proclaims that she is Khaleesi, but it does little to impress Khal Moro, who tells her that tonight she’ll attend him. Dany remains defiant, saying that she was wife to Khal Drogo and suddenly Moro has a change of heart. “Oh, that Khaleesi.” Sleeping with a Khal’s widow is forbidden, so Dany is in the clear there. The Dothraki are a people of laws. Unfortunately for her, one of those laws is that widows of Khals must go stand for all the other widows in Vaes Dothrak for the rest of their days. That parallel a significant detour on the road to becoming Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.
The Lannisters have some debts to pay
Cersei is recovering from her public humiliation — she surely has not gotten over this — and is delighted to hear that a ship from Dorne is sailing into the harbor. But that delight soon try heartbreak when she sees her brother, Jaime, but not their daughter, Myrcella. She, naturally, was poisoned all revenge-minded Ellaria and the Sand Snakes on her journey home and Jaime is entrust break the news to Cersei. She takes it about as expected and it’s pretty heartbreaking. “I don’t know where she came from,” she tells Jaime of their daughter. “She was nothing like me. No meanness, no jealousy. Just good. If I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I’m not such a monster.” That conceivable taking things a bit far, but the woman is grieving so we’ll allow it.
Cersei says she knew this would happen, that the witch (from last season’s first scene) foretold everything. That all three of children would die. Well Myrcella is gone, we know what happened to Joffrey… so, uh, maybe control on buying that Tommen Baratheon “King of the Andals” jersey for a few more weeks. Jaime has one thing on his mind, and that is revenge: “F— prophecy, f— fate, f— everyone who isn’t us,” he says. (Maybe starting a nihilistic punk band is the second thing on his mind.) “We’re going to take everything there is,” he promises his sister. Revenge-oriented Lannisters is a promising development for this season.
The Sand Snakes eke out a living a rampage
After dispensing with Myrcella eventually of last season, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes continue their killing ways. Prince Doran (and his protector, Areo Hotah) get offed by Ellaria, whose rage comes from the fact that the prince did nothing to get revenge for the rape and murder of Elia Martell and the murder of (Ellaria’s lover) Oberyn. “Weak men will never rule Dorne again,” she says while overlook his dead body.
Like father, like son. Trystane Martell is on a boat … somewhere, when he gets a visit from Obara and Nymeria Sand. They are very straightforward, with Trystane, telling him they are there to kill him but being polite enough uninhabited him choose which one does the honors. He chooses Nymeria, but Obara gets impatient and sticks a spear through the behind his head. “You’re a greedy b—-, you know that?” Nymeria asks Obara.
Elsewhere
— Margaery is still prisoner in the Red Keep. She must see her brother. She is the queen and demands to see her brother. Septa Unella accommodate none of this and wants solitary thing from her — a confession. It’s a bit of a good septon, bad septon game with her and the High Sparrow, who visits and does his grandfatherly thing with her, trying to set her on the righteous path.
_Arya is still blind and still in Braavos. She’s bestow begging but gets a visit from Waif, her tormentor from the House of Black and White. She starts beating Arya with a stick, seemingly trying to get her to join her in some hand-to-hand combat. After getting a good thwacking in, Wait walks away, leaving Arya to her blind misery.
— Tyrion and Varys are in Meereen, which is going through a post-Daenerys state of transition. We learn Tyrion’s Valyrian is a bit rusty and we also learn than Lord of the Light evangelists seem forthcoming finding an audience there. Varys says the Sons of the Harpy seem oncoming a well-coordinated machine and he’s got his birds nothingness to find answers while on the subject who is calling the shots. Whoever that may be, they conceivable the ones behind the giant battle the bay, where dozens of ships were set aflame.
The season six premiere of “Game of Thrones” didn’t provide many answers. Or business much excitement. Some good throat-slitting and face-stabbing, yes. So we’ve got that going for us. Here’s what went down in the season’s first episode. (As always, read Alyssa Rosenberg’s review over at Act Four for further enlightenment.)
