sansa
Though this season of Game of Thrones has not been nearly as explosive as the last, all three episodes so far have been meaty with exposition and build-up; it’s only a matter of time before many of these plot lines really come to a head.
Arya is unhappy in the House of Black and White, as Jaqen H’ghar has made her sweep the floor for days. He explains that to become a Faceless Man, Arya must learn to serve the many-faced god. Now that the mysterious faceless have become more central to the plot, the revelations surrounding them have become disturbing. I already miss the time when we knew nothing about them.
Speaking of disturbing, Margaery marries Tommen Lannister at last, and for what feels like the first time in ages, we’re treated to a wedding that actually ends decently. Wait, this is a wedding I didn’t want to end well, but as luck would have it, we are treated to the notion that young Tommen has already consummated his union with his much older bride. Delightful, Game of Thrones. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any creepier.
This episode puts Margaery and Cersei’s Mean Girls-esque subplot front and center, as Margaery suggests to Tommen that his mother would be happier in Casterly Rock, and he takes the tries to convince Cersei to head home. After the last episode where Cersei took charge over her son’s cabinet, it is strange to see her so completely flummoxed. I am not always her biggest fan, but I prefer Cersei-in-charge to cowed Cersei.
For the first time this season, we check in on the Boltons in Winterfell. It’s certainly a grimmer place without the Starks in control, as skinned human bodies are piling up around town. Roose admits that his rule is a bit tenuous now that Tywin Lannister is dead; the Bolton’s success is due to the alliances they have been able to form, and they don’t have enough strength in the North to control it themselves. He suggests to Ramsay that a wedding might be in order. But who should he marry?
Why, who else could be lady of Winterfell but Sansa?
Anyone else, apparently. Sansa is angry at Littlefinger for selling her out to the family that murdered her brother and mother. Littlefinger convinces her to stop running away from trouble as she has done for years and instead avenge her family with this marriage, and they press on to Moat Cailin.
Brienne and Pod are trailing Littlefinger, and Brienne asks Pod why he has been a squire for so long. Pod confesses that he was actually sent to be Tyrion’s squire as punishment. Pod also admits that he admires Brienne more than any other knight. Brienne explains how she became a Kingsguard. They have a heart-to-heart, and Brienne decides to train Pod to be a real knight. She explains that her real goal is to avenge Renly’s death and kill Stannis, who she believes is responsible.
Speaking of Stannis, at The Wall, he visits Lord Commander Jon Snow. Jon explains that as Lord Commander, he must refuse Stannis’s offer to give him control over Winterfell as Jon Stark in exchange for his assistance clearing out the North. Stannis grudgingly accepts, explaining that he has plans to leave The Wall to march on Winterfell in the coming weeks. Daavos comes to speak to Jon, trying to convince him to set the North free from the Boltons. It’s interesting to see the pieces move in the show to make the North a real battleground in upcoming episodes.
To become “no one,” Arya learns she must discard her possessions, though she cannot part with Needle, her sword. Arya is once again forging a new identity in a new land; it seems like she is already faceless.
Jon must make orders now that he is Lord Commander. He angers Lord Janos, who refuses his orders. To make his stance clear, Jon orders him to be executed for his disobedience. Despite Lord Janos’s cries for mercy, Jon beheads him. Jon has grown and matured drastically in the last season; this might prove to be his most interesting yet.
After the High Septon is chased out of a brothel by Lancel and other super-religious ascetics, the Sparrows, he comes to the small council calling for their arrest. Cersei visits the “High Sparrow,” who is feeding the poor in a makeshift soup kitchen. Surprisingly, she agrees with the action the High Sparrow has taken against the High Septon. Cersei’s motivations are not yet clear, but she has a definite endgame prepared. I have a feeling it has something to do with the Frankenstein-monster-like creature encountered near the end of the episode, though.
When Sansa arrives in Winterfell, her home is foreign to her. Bolton and Littlefinger discuss trading Sansa like a piece of livestock. The two realize that a union between the Lords of the Eyrie and of Winterfell has the power to take control of Westeros. Again, the show is setting up Winterfell for an important role in the future. A message has arrived from Cersei for Littlefinger.
Tyrion is losing his mind in the carriage on the way to Volantis, so he and Varys take a walk through the city. They encounter a Red Priestess, who worships Daenerys as a savior. After Tyrion wanders off in a brothel, Jorah Mormont, who has been a much-missed presence in Meereen this season, spots him, ties him up and captures him. Jorah says he is going to take Tyrion to see the queen. We can only hope for Tyrion’s sake, he means his beloved Dany, and not Cersei.
The episode has created a lot of loose ends; hopefully things begin to pick up as the character settle and reshuffle themselves. Until then, I’m really enjoying just how numerous the plot lines are. The sheer number of these threads has kept this season rather dynamic, regardless of a lull in action.
